The New Orleans Saints seemingly find themselves well over the salary cap every single year, resulting in their front office frantically restructuring deals in order to get under the cap before the new league year. Once again, that was the case this season, with star quarterback Derek Carr recently restructuring his deal in order to help New Orleans out. However, before that happened, he may have been plotting his exit from the Saints.
Carr’s first two seasons in New Orleans haven’t exactly gone according to plan, as the team has missed the playoffs both years. Carr only played in 10 games last season due to a myriad of injuries, and it doesn’t exactly look like they are close to contending for a playoff spot in 2025 and beyond. For now, Carr is still with the Saints, but he was open to testing the market before reworking his deal with the Saints.
“Several NFL sources believe that Carr was open to testing the market in recent weeks, possibly filling a void with a quarterback-needy team before free agency, but the Saints showed no outward desire to trade or cut him. Multiple teams in the quarterback market were made aware of this in recent weeks, the sources said. Carr told ESPN in January that he wouldn’t take a pay cut,” Katherine Terrell of ESPN reported.
Saints moving forward with Derek Carr for the time being
Carr’s potential desire to leave the Saints is intriguing, especially since he’s sticking with the team for the time being. If he were to force his way out of New Orleans, that would add another wrinkle to what is shaping up to be an explosive quarterback market this offseason. For now, though, he’s staying put, with New Orleans creating over $30 million in cap space by reworking his deal.
Could this be a sign that Carr and the Saints are headed towards a split? Potentially, but with New Orleans seeming unlikely to willingly move on from Carr, he would have to force his way out of town if he wanted a change of scenery. For now, that’s not happening, but Carr’s status suddenly has become worth keeping tabs on with free agency right around the corner.
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