The New Orleans Saints have one game left in the season, and although the team has no chance of making the postseason, veteran quarterback Derek Carr is doing everything he can to return and play before the season is over. He’s been sidelined since breaking his non-throwing hand in Week 14 against the New York Giants, and Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler have started in his absence.
Since the injury didn’t require surgery, the team didn’t place him on injured reserve, holding out hope that he can return before the season ends. However, he has missed the last three weeks, and he’s running out of time with the final game of the regular season on Sunday.
On Monday, interim head coach Darren Rizzi detailed what Carr’s process for getting back on the field looks like. He revealed that the veteran quarterback tried to simulate a game in last week’s practice, but it didn’t go as planned, so he was forced to sit out another week. Rizzi said Carr will be undergoing the same process this week. He’ll have to make it through the simulation if he’s going to suit up for the regular-season finale.
Darren Rizzi said Derek Carr tried to simulate a game last week and it did not go as planned with the hand injury. They're going to try to do that again this week.
— Katherine Terrell (@Kat_Terrell) December 30, 2024
Saints say Derek Carr will simulate a game to decide if he can return in Week 18
For many veterans in Derek Carr’s position, it doesn’t really make sense to get back on the field this season. The team isn’t playing for anything, and he won’t be able to prove anything in one more game this season. Many players would have been shutdown for the season.
Per the broadcast from the Saints’ Week 17 game against the Las Vegas Raider, when Carr was asked why he’s even fighting so hard to return when the Saints don’t have anything to play for, he simply said that he’s a football player, and as long as there’s football to be played, he’s going to try to play it. It’s certainly an admirable mindset, but his body will make the ultimate decision.