Derek Carr is going to be QB1 for the New Orleans Saints this season.
After the recent news of his restructure came out, there's all sorts of things that this says about the Saints. You can get my thoughts on the latest Second And Saints episode, but here's the long and short of it.
The Saints Are Really Competing In 2025
This has been the mantra for some time now for the Saints, and that's also what new head coach Kellen Moore said that New Orleans will be competing for the NFC South in his opening press conference. This does also mean a lot of the big veterans should be around for 'one last ride', if you will.
The Pressure Is On
The move to keep Carr puts pressure not only him, but also on GM Mickey Loomis and Kellen Moore. This is either going to be a good move or bad move, and there's really no in between here. Loomis said they believe Carr is a quarterback they can win with and Moore said he fits his scheme. The goal is to get into the postseason, and anything short of that is going to warrant valid criticism.
More Money Gets Kicked Down the Road
The cap relief is there, for starters, as he was the biggest domino to fall. Carr's restructure will now see him cost $69.2 million in 2026, and there's no way the Saints are paying that. That's obviously next year's problem, but the fact that they did this means that others are going to have a field day with the operating strategy in New Orleans. And you know what? They have valid points. It's great that you can get under the salary cap every year and navigate it, but it got you 5-12 last season. The team is 30-38 since Drew Brees left and 21-30 in the past three years.
There Needs To Be A Definitive Succession Plan
Committing to Carr for 2025 doesn't necessarily rule out drafting a quarterback, but it does make it less of a possibility. Whether the Saints want to admit it or not, they need to come up with a post-Carr plan. Is that Spencer Rattler? Is that going to be in free agency? These are some things that should be considered, and Rattler should be ready at a moment's notice too.
