This past offseason, the New Orleans Saints won a bidding battle for quarterback Derek Carr, pulling him to Louisiana after he was released by the Las Vegas Raiders. One year later, the Saints could face the same fate as the Raiders.
Last spring, Las Vegas worked feverishly to locate a trade partner for Carr, with the Saints among the clubs intrigued. However, the veteran quarterback’s deal included a no-move clause and a large salary charge in 2023, making him practically impossible to trade. He signed with New Orleans not long after being discharged.
Derek Carr’s 2023 numbers include: 93.6 QB rating, 67.4 percent completion rate, 19-8 TD-INT ratio, 3,417 passing yards, 7.0 yards per attempt, 227.8 passing yards per game, and 51.6 QBR.
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The Saints envisioned Carr assisting this unit in taking another step ahead, winning the NFC South, and increasing the offense’s consistency. However, he has been outperformed by Andy Dalton’s performance in New Orleans past season.
With head coach Dennis Allen already on the hot seat in the NFL, there are rising calls for the front office to make a quarterback change in 2024. While it may not be the most cost-effective choice for New Orleans, it does look to be a viable possibility.
“I think he was fine,” Allen stated. I believe he was fine. Obviously, there are instances when he should move through his growth a little faster, or hang in there a little longer. There’s a lot that goes into it, but I felt it was a good game for him overall.”
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the Saints may eat the $30 million fully guaranteed that Carr is entitled in 2024 and release him before another $10 million that he is owed in 2025 becomes fully guaranteed next March.
New Orleans Saints draft picks in 2024
Derek Carr’s contract includes a $7.2 million cap hit in 2023, a $35.7 million cap hit in 2024, and a $45.7 million cap hit in 2025, as well as a full no-trade clause.
While Florio does not feel it is a certainty, he does thinks it is more likely if the Saints pursue a coaching change. If New Orleans chooses an outsider, the new head coach may seek to select the starting quarterback in 2024.
In that case, the Saints may be linked to Carr in NFL trade rumors. While he would still have a significant cap hit, New Orleans might agree to cover a portion of his contract in 2024 as part of a trade with a team in need of a quarterback. While the Saints would almost probably face the same issues as the Raiders did in the 2023 NFL offseason, especially given Carr’s no-trade rule, the number of teams yearning for quarterback stability might create a limited market of bidders for Carr.
