By now, all New Orleans Saints fans know that Derek Carr will return for a third season with the team in 2025. The team announced that decision at the combine, and it became official when New Orleans restructured his contract, converting most of his 2025 compensation into a signing bonus. The announcement of that restructure sent a wave of bad vibes throughout the Saints fan base, as a lot of fans have been vocal about their desire to move on from Carr.
While the news to keep the veteran quarterback made plenty of people angry, the details behind this big decision will surely make those same people irate. ESPN’s Katherine Terrell reported that Carr was open to moving on, but it was the Saints who had no desire of exploring that path.
"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."Katherine Terrell (ESPN)
ESPN reports Derek Carr was open to leaving the Saints
Again, a ton of New Orleans fans already want Carr off of the Saints. The news that the veteran quarterback didn’t mind moving on, but the team didn’t make the call isn’t going to go over well with those same fans. New Orleans had an out, and the opportunity to start over, but didn’t take it.
For Carr, it makes sense that he’d be willing to test the market. He was going to get a lot of money from New Orleans regardless, and he was surely going to find a new team, as NFL clubs repeteatedly prove they’re desperate for starting-caliber quarterbacks. With several teams currently fighting over Sam Darnold, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and Aaron Rodgers, the league would’ve happily welcomed Carr into the mix.
For the Saints, on the other hand, their motivation to keep Carr was likely all financial. By keeping him, they were able to restructure his deal and create around $30 million in cap space. However, the decision means Carr will have a cap hit of nearly $70 million in 2026, and New Orleans still doesn’t have a franchise quarterback. Hopefully, Carr will be able to stay healthy in 2025, and lead the team to a better record than the 14-13 he accumulated in his first two seasons.