Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that the Saints are restructuring QB Derek Carr’s contract and converting most of his salary into a signing bonus to create some cap space.
While there has been talk about Carr possibly taking a pay cut this offseason, in the end, the two parties agreed to keep him at his current $40 million salary.
This move will create around $30 million of available cap room for the Saints, which brings them closer to being under the salary cap before the start of the new league year next week.
Carr, 33, is a former second-round pick of the Raiders back in 2014. He was in the final year of his contract when the Raiders signed him to a five-year, $125 million extension that included $70 million guaranteed in 2017.
Carr stood to make a base salary of $19.77 million in the final year of his contract and was set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2023 when he signed a three-year, $121.5 million extension.
However, the Raiders released Carr the following season and he signed a four-year, $150 million deal with the Saints.
In 2024, Carr appeared in ten games for the Saints and completed 68.1 percent of his passes for 1,926 yards, 14 touchdowns, and four interceptions.
Saints' Derek Carr move could do more harm than good
The Saints got significant cap relief on Saturday when they restructured quarterback Derek Carr's contract. The decision effectively ties Carr to New Orleans for 2025, which could do more harm than good.
Per Over The Cap, a simple restructure saves New Orleans $30.996 million against the 2025 cap. The Saints entered Saturday last in the league in available cap space — $39.54 million over the 2025 salary cap.
Because it's a restructure and not a revised contract, Carr will still receive "all $40 million owed this year," as NFL insider Mike Garafolo wrote.
The Saints will be in the same position next offseason, rostering a quarterback with an onerous cap number. Carr's 2026 cap number — $61.458 million entering Saturday — will increase because of the restructure. New Orleans also already had $17.2 million in prorated signing bonus payments attached to void years in 2027 and 2028. Those figures will increase, too.
However, with no guaranteed money beyond 2025, the Saints could be best off releasing Carr following the upcoming season. At that point, they'll only owe the veteran quarterback whatever is left of his signing bonus, which would be less than his 2026 cap number.
New Orleans has been stuck in the NFL's dreaded middle tier since former quarterback Drew Brees retired following the 2020-21 season. That will likely continue with Carr at quarterback in 2025, keeping the Saints from beginning a full rebuild under first-year head coach Kellen Moore.
Carr has put up decent numbers in two seasons with the Saints. In 27 starts, he is 564-of-827 (68.2 percent) for 6,023 yards (7.3 yards per attempt), 40 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Last season, he had the league's lowest sack rate (2.79 percent).
New Orleans has only gone 14-13 in his two seasons as the team's starter, a sign that the team's problems run deeper than simply quarterback performance.
But Carr is good enough to win to a degree that keeps the Saints from earning a top draft pick, which they'll need to have the best chance of getting a quarterback for the future.
Restructuring Carr's contract gives New Orleans relief, but that could be short-lived. Sporting an even larger cap number in 2026, he might be on borrowed time with the Saints. If so, he could potentially leave them with a draft pick in the middle of the first round and no quarterback next offseason.
After a 5-12 2024 season, things could still get much worse for the Saints before they get better.
