Ah, remember Week 2, when the Saints were sitting at 2-0 and had scored 91 points in the first two games of the year, leading to legitimate talk of quarterback Derek Carr as a potential MVP candidate? Seems like ages ago now.
The Saints, of course, dropped heavily from there, fired coach Dennis Allen and have dealt with a variety of injuries to Carr, who has started 10 of the team's 14 games. He missed three games in October because of an oblique injury, then missed last week's game after he injured his hand in the Week 14 win over the Giants.
That injury might well be it for Carr for the 2024 season, and could be the end of his career in New Orleans, too.
As NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported on Tuesday, "Sources: #Saints QB Derek Carr underwent further examination recently and he’s at least a few weeks away from being able to withstand contact. With 3 weeks remaining, a return this season is described as very unlikely. Carr has been out with a left hand fractured in two places."
Head coach Darren Rizzi had held out hope that the Saints would get Carr back before season's end. Carr's left hand is not his throwing hand. “I don’t think that’s a reach,” Rizzi told reporters when asked if Carr could return.
In Carr's place, the Saints started Jake Haener against the Commanders last week, but he was benched in favor of Spencer Rattler.
Carr is in the second year of a four-year, $150 million contract he signed before last season with New Orleans. But the Saints have an out clause after this year, and could use it, absorbing the dead-cap cost.
