Derek Carr’s future as the New Orleans Saints starting quarterback seems secure. Saints general manager Mickey Loomis made that clear on Wednesday when he referred to the 11-year veteran as “a guy we can win with, and we’re excited about it.”
Carr has two years remaining on the four-year, $150 million contract that brought him to New Orleans as a free agent in 2023.
He is 14-13 as a starter in two seasons with the Saints, having gone 5-5 during an injury-riddled 2024 campaign. The Saints went 5-12 last season, their worst record since going 3-13 in 2005 — the season before current Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton and record-setting QB Drew Brees joined the franchise.
Carr, whose 2024 per-game passing numbers were the second-lowest of his career (214.5 yards), also received praise Wednesday from newly hired Saints head coach Kellen Moore.
“He’s a big-time quarterback in this league,” Moore said.
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The endorsements from Loomis and Moore may signify the Saints aren’t headed for a full-scale rebuild. Moore has experience as an offensive coordinator from stints with the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Chargers, as well as calling plays for the Super Bowl LIX champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Hiring Moore to succeed Dennis Allen, the Saints’ longtime defensive coordinator and then head coach for 2.5 seasons, indicates an emphasis on improving the offense.
The Saints ranked 23rd in the NFL total passing yards last season, but it seems they believe Carr can help them improve on that mark.
The next issue becomes dealing with his financial situation. The Saints are trying to create space under the salary cap for 2025. If Carr’s contract went unchanged, it could count about $51 million against the cap next season, but New Orleans could convert some of Carr’s salary into bonus money that, for accounting purposes, could be prorated over multiple years — if the QB agrees.
“His is a big number,” Loomis said of Carr’s contract. “So, we’re going to hopefully be able to maneuver.”
Doing so could help the Saints bring in additional weapons for Carr. His top options: Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave missed a combined 20 games in 2024 due to injuries and there wasn’t much depth beyond them.
Carr completed 67.7% of his passes last season for 2,145 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. He was sacked eight times. He missed three games in the middle of the season because of an oblique injury. A subsequent concussion and broken left hand sidelined him for the season’s final four games.
New Orleans did not win a game started by either of Carr’s backups, rookie Spencer Rattler or second-year pro Jake Haener.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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