New details on New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr's shoulder injury are beginning to leak out in the media.
While previous reports revealed Carr has been battling a shoulder injury that could put his 2025 season at risk, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer added more detail on the subject.
Breer highlighted the fact former Saints coach Dennis Allen was a large reason Carr was brought to New Orleans in 2023 and Oakland in 2014. With Allen being fired in November and a new regime stepping in, the writing is on the wall for a fresh start brewing, and even rumors that Carr himself might want out of New Orleans.
"It'd be easier for folks across the league to take [the news of his shoulder injury] at face value, were it not for the drama that preceded this most recent revelation," Breer wrote.
Carr did miss the first portion of Saints' voluntary offseason workouts this week. In early March, the Saints converted $28.745 million of his $30 million base salary into a signing bonus, which brings his base salary all the way down to the league minimum. With the re-worked contract, the Saints have to pay Carr's salary this year, whether or not they decide to move him.
"The Saints knew about this shoulder issue," Breer wrote. "What I’m less sure about is if they view it as something that was actually threatening his 2025 season. The story I’ve heard is that Carr’s camp has told people that this actually stems from his [2023] AC joint sprain, which never fully healed."
Breer said he's not sure who the Saints quarterback will be this fall if it's not Carr. He throws out scenarios like Aaron Rodgers, drafting Jaxson Dart or Shedeur Sanders and even the longshot of trading for divisional rival playcaller Kirk Cousins.
