The New Orleans Saints have one of the better quarterbacks in the National Football League right now.
Derek Carr is a four-time Pro Bowler and is under contract for two more years. If the cap wasn't a thing, there wouldn't be much of a reason to move on from Carr. He's been great over the last two years in New Orleans when he has been healthy.
The Saints star only played in 10 games in 2024, though. His cap hit currently is expected to be over $51 million in 2025 and over $61 million in 2026 barring a restructureing trade, or cut. It's unclear what the team will do, but Pro Football Focus' Mason Cameron suggested that he could be the "first domino" to fall for New Orleans this offseason.
"No. 14. QB Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints," Cameron said. "The Saints find themselves in a difficult cap situation, and maintaining the roster as currently constructed is untenable. Carr’s significant contract may be the first domino to fall, as he has been linked as a possible trade target for various quarterback-needy teams. Despite dealing with a pair of injuries that limited him to just 10 starts in 2024, Carr was excellent when on the field, earning the fifth-highest PFF passing grade (86.7) among qualifying passers.
"The difficulty comes in the form of Carr’s no-trade clause, which could potentially result in a post-June 1 cut for the veteran quarterback."
This makes sense. The Saints have a lot of decisions to make this offseason but they seem to be all contingent on what the team does with Carr.
