Saints believed to have one of worst contracts in NFL, which could’ve been avoided

The New Orleans Saints have been busy this offseason but most of the work they’ve done has been restructuring contracts with guys already on the roster because of their perpetually bad cap situation. The Saints have quite a few high-paid veterans, but they, unfortunately, don’t have the success to match, coming off a 9-8 season.

Now, New Orleans is preparing to enter another season with those high-paid veterans, and there’s a belief that one of those veterans have one of the worst contracts in the league. Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report recently examined some of the league’s worst contracts entering 2024 free agency and how they could’ve been avoided. On the list was Derek Carr’s four-year, $150 million contract with New Orleans.

Derek Carr’s contract with Saints named one of the worst in NFL

Gagnon pointed out that Carr’s cap hit will rise to $51.5 million in 2025 if he’s on the roster, and a $40.1 million dead cap if he’s not. That’s a lot of money for any quarterback, but it’s especially costly considering h that Carr, for the most part, has been a middle-of-the-pack quarterback in recent years. It remains to be seen if that’ll change, and if Carr can play at a level that will elevate the Saints.

As for how this deal could’ve been avoided, Gagnon argued that back during the 2022 offseason, New Orleans should’ve left Derek Carr alone, drafting Will Levis instead. Levis ended up with the Tennessee Titans after being selected in the second round. As a rookie, he started nine games, completing 58.4% of his passes for 1,808 yards, eight touchdowns, and four interceptions. The jury is certainly still out on Levis, but he has more upside than Carr considering his age.

Ultimately, there are no do overs in the league. Derek Carr and his contract are still with the Saints and the franchise must navigate that moving forward. They should be competitive in the NFC South next season, and winning makes everything better.

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