Tag: Derek Carr

Derek Carr was conspicuously absent throughout New Orleans’ Super Bowl week

Derek Carr was absent in Super Bowl week. Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener promoted New Orleans just like Drew Brees and Jameis Winston, but QB1 wasn’t to be found:

It’s been hard to miss all the New Orleans Saints players making the rounds in the media this week. Many of them were quarterbacks — backups like Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener either shook hands and took photos with fans at the Super Bowl Experience event at the Caesars Superdome or promoted their sponsorship partners on various podcasts and radio shows. Drew Brees was a popular interview on that same circuit. FOX Sports gave Jameis Winston a microphone and a camera crew and told him to be himself.

All of this makes Derek Carr’s absence highly conspicuous. Fan favorites of yesteryear like Marques Colston, Jimmy Graham, Thomas Morstead and Mark Ingram II were all out and about, either chopping it up with the media or just taking in the atmosphere. So were current players like Bryan Bresee, Blake Grupe, Ugo Amadi, Demario Davis and Cameron Jordan. But not Carr. Sure, his future with the team is in doubt, but that’s also true for guys like Amadi and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who aren’t even under contract next season. They still showed up.

So where was he? Carr told reporters a month ago how eager he was to get back to Fresno, Calif. with his wife and four children: “Excited for my kids to have a place they can call ‘home, home.’ We’ve moved a lot and they’ve been asking me ‘where are we going to grow up forever?’ We told them Fresno and now we get to do that.”

Carr went to college at Fresno State and will be living in the same area as his older brother David, who told the local ABC affiliate he’ll also be training there while preparing for the 2025 season. So he’s presumably been busy with the move and getting settled in at his family’s forever home.

Still, it’s really disappointing to see so many prominent members of the team, past and present, doing their part to show off New Orleans. All eyes are on the city ahead of the biggest football game of the year. The quarterback Carr replaced (Winston) has been around, just like the guy whose legacy he’s been chasing (Brees). Both of his backups (Rattler and Haener) made the effort or were at least compelled by their sponsors to show up. Carr couldn’t be bothered to even fly in for a day to chat on Radio Row.

When the Pelicans drafted Zion Williamson, Brees delivered a short message to him: If you love New Orleans, this city will love you back. Carr hasn’t done that often enough. Regardless of how you feel about how well he’s played on the field (for his part, Carr felt strongly enough about it to get out in front of any talk about taking a pay cut), doing work in the community or recording positive radio hits will go a long way. Something as small as recommending his favorite restaurant or some other small local business would win a lot of goodwill. It’s a shame that wasn’t a priority for him.

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Report: Saints are set to make big decision on Derek Carr’s future

NFL Network reports the New Orleans Saints are set to decide on Derek Carr’s future. But cutting him won’t be easy, and he has a lot of leverage in trade talks:

The New Orleans Saints aren’t playing today, but here’s your Sunday splash report. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo shared some insight to the team’s big offseason decision on Derek Carr’s future with the team.

“He’s got a $10 million roster bonus that is fully guaranteed. And then he’s got another $30 million in base salary for this upcoming season that becomes guaranteed three days into the league year in March.”

There’s your deadline for the Saints to make a decision, but they’ll really need to act quicker. They’re in the red by more than $50 million and must be compliant with the salary cap no later than March 12. Carr has the heaviest salary cap hit on the team at $51.4 million. You do the math, or check here to see how the Saints could get under the cap after cutting him. It isn’t easy.

Garafolo continued: “So the Saints are gonna have to make a decision on what they want to do with Derek Carr, who does have a no-trade clause I might mention as well. The Saints (are) massively over the salary cap, what else is new, then they start to renegotiate contracts. I do know that quarterbacks who have $40 million basically in guarantees aren’t real quick to give that up. So if the Saints come to Carr and ask him to do that, I think he would resist, and then potentially could be gone.”

Carr has already made it known publicly that he would refuse to accept a pay cut. So the options are to restructure his contract and have this discussion again in 2026, or to try and work with him on a trade. Carr wouldn’t waive his no-trade clause to get from the Las Vegas Raiders to the Saints back in 2023. It’s a safe assumption he wouldn’t waive it to get from the Saints to another new team in 2025, especially if he has options waiting in free agency. That’s a scenario Garafolo sees as realistic.

“If he’s gone I would expect interest from multiple teams out there. There’s not a lot of great options both in free agency and the draft. He’ll have interest,” Garafolo finished.

Sure, the Saints could explore trading Carr. That would be less expensive than cutting him or restructuring his contract. But any team trading for him may prefer waiting to save their draft picks so they could sign him as a free agent, which would mean lowball offers for New Orleans. The quarterback has leverage here. Carr’s future may be in Kellen Moore’s hands if the Saints do officially hire him as their head coach. If Moore can see a path forward with Carr at quarterback, he’ll be back. If the new coach wants a new QB, the Saints could make it happen.

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Saints coach candidate has ‘ton of respect’ for QB Derek Carr

There have been rumors about Kellen Moore not liking the Saints QB situation, but when asked, the head coach candidate said he has ‘a ton of respect’ for Derek Carr:

As the attention on Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is in full focus this week in New Orleans before Super Bowl LIX, many local media members have been able to get a gauge for what he thinks of the Saints organization and more specifically, his thoughts on quarterback Derek Carr.

Moore, as a former Boise State standout, was asked about his matchup with Carr back in college, (a 57-7 blowout win for his Broncos) but quickly shifted to give praise to Carr and his body of work in the league.

“I’ve known Derek for a long time, tons of respect for him as a quarterback in this league. He’s had a tremendous career and done a lot of really good things,” Moore told reporters this week.

There were some reports prior to this statement regarding Moore’s potential concerns in the Saints quarterback room, however it is just about a guarantee that Carr will be the teams signal caller if Moore does take the teams head coaching job. Carr as his contract stands, will account for $51.5 million of the team’s salary cap for next season. If Carr was to be cut prior to June 1, the team would take on $50.1 million in dead money, meaning the team is more likely to restructure Carr’s and keep him than to move on from him at anytime in the near future. At least Moore is a fan of Carr’s game, if the Saints are indeed able to hire him as their new head coach.

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Saints’ roster gives their next coach a nearly blank slate when crafting the team

The Saints are in need of roster reconstruction, and that gives a new coach like Kellen Moore the opportunity to shape it in his image quickly:

Kellen Moore believes in building around your players, but the New Orleans Saints are set up to build around Moore — or whoever their next head coach ends up being.

Good coaches understand you have to be adaptable with your playbook. It’s a mindset that is expressed when Moore spoke the media Monday night: “You build around your players. There’s different styles we’ve played over the years and that’s the fun part of it.”

When you have Saquon Barkley on your team, you tend to run the football a lot. No one did it more frequently than the Philadelphia Eagles. They led the NFL with 621 rushing attempts this season. No other team had more than 554 (the Baltimore Ravens).

However, outside of Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Erik McCoy and Taliese Fuaga, there aren’t a lot of building blocks for a new coach to work with. The Saints are in need of real roster reconstruction, which should give Moore (or someone like him) more fluidity early in his tenure.

With an innovative coach like Moore leading the charge, he would have the opportunity to bring in the type of players he wants for his system immediately instead of working around what pieces are there. So long as the Saints are patient and trust in his process, anyway.

Year 1 they will have some holdover, but he can start the process of shaping the roster immediately through the draft. Outside of McCoy and Kamara there’s no one who is locked into their role. Fuaga could change sides, and New Orleans may look to bring in another impact receiver or rusher in the draft.

The Saints didn’t do a lot well in 2024. They ran the ball well early in the season, but they still have room to grow and be more balanced. Being pass-heavy may be the only thing off the table.

One point of rigidity is the quarterback room. If their new coach truly doesn’t like the options available to him, he may feel leaning on the run is mandatory.

Moore has the right idea of adapting to his players, and one day he’ll have to do it. Where the Saints are currently, however, would allow him to shape this team in his vision quickly.

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Saints involved in two trade proposals that would reshape the NFL

This B/R writer says two New Orleans Saints veterans getting traded to the AFC North could impact the NFL playoff picture:

Rebuilds typically lead to an exodus of veteran players as the team gets younger. As the New Orleans Saints begin their rebuild, reload or whatever they want to call it, they too will get younger.

Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport saw two Saints veterans as bargaining chips. He cooked up six trades that could reshape the league, and New Orleans was involved with two of them. Davenport had the Saints sending two players to the AFC North: Derek Carr to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tyrann Mathieu to the Baltimore Ravens.

Carr to the Steelers would probably make the fans in black and yellow pretty upset and fans donning the black and gold may rejoice. Carr would feel very similar to the acquisition of Russell Wilson. He’s been discussed already as a possible trade target for Pittsburgh.

While Davenport is right to say the Steelers showed they don’t need an elite quarterback to be competitive, their limitations on offense still showed. On the note of competitiveness, Davenport pointed out “the opportunity to play for a contender” could entice Carr to waive his no-trade clause.

Davenport pairs Mathieu with Baltimore to help a struggling pass defense. This trade may become less likely because the Ravens improved mightily after moving Hamilton to deep safety. It would allow Mathieu to play closer to the box, but Baltimore may not be in the market for safety help anymore.

But what would the Saints get out of this? In terms of draft picks, Davenport’s trades have New Orleans getting a fourth-round pick in 2025 and a conditional pick in 2026 for Carr, plus a fifth-round pick in 2025. As for the salary cap benefits? Trading Carr before June 1 saves the Saints $11.3 million. But trading Mathieu saves only $16,000. That’s it. The team would still be paying $11.3 million this year if they trade Mathieu before June 1. They might be better off holding onto him.

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Report: Saints front office execs ‘love’ their young backup quarterback

Shortly after it was reported Kellen Moore could be turned off by the Saints quarterbacks, ESPN’s Matt Miller shared the Saints front office loves Spencer Rattler:

The New Orleans Saints are in an interesting place right now. They have an aging quarterback in Derek Carr and two young quarterbacks behind him, Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener. You want to improve from Carr, who dealt with injuries, but the young guys went a combined 0-8.

Things get complicated when thinking about who will lead the team. Mickey Loomis has vocalized the coach won’t be married to anything including the quarterbacks. Well, all signs to the team hiring Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore.

Before Moore even has his introductory press conference, there is already a difference in view of the roster. Moore reportedly doesn’t like the Saints’ quarterback room but the New Orleans front office “loves” Rattler, per ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller.

It’s far from an insurmountable disagreement. Finding out who Rattler is with an actual offense around him is a major reason letting him start in 2025 should be on the table.

The Saints’ draft position may keep them from drafting a quarterback this year. Jaxson Dart seems primed to jump into the first round. Maybe Moore loves Dart early or another quarterback later in the draft.

Even if New Orleans does draft a young player, Rattler will most likely remain on the roster over Jake Haener. He showcased a higher ceiling and Miller’s latest report shows the Saints feel the same way. How Rattler is managed in 2025 will be an interesting storyline to follow.

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Former Saints QB sees New Orleans as the best landing spot for Shedeur Sanders

It’s improbable, but former Saints backup QB Chase Daniels argues that New Orleans drafting Shedeur Sanders would be ‘the best situation’ for the high-profile rookie:

With the New Orleans Saints picking ninth overall, there is a better chance of Shedeur Sanders being off the board than available. The Colorado Buffaloes star quarterback is expected to be off the board in the first two picks.

In a fantasy world, however, The Facility’s Chase Daniel thinks Sanders being drafted by New Orleans would be “the best situation for Shedeur.” Daniels ran down the quarterback-needy teams in the top ten picks and acknowledged they’re all bad situations, the Saints included, but New Orleans is where Sanders could take his time and hit the field once the roster is ready to support him.

“So like any situation you go to — now I do agree, if you go the Saints, and you sit behind Carr for a year and Kellen Moore’s the head coach — I think that’s the best situation for Shedeur. Like, to not rush him. Not to say he can’t have success (right away),” Daniel argued. “The Saints, for me, make a ton of sense.”

What puts New Orleans above their peers is the presence of Derek Carr, and the anticipated addition of Kellen Moore. Daniels obviously respects Moore’s ability to build up a quarterback, but the greatest boost may be a veteran quarterback on the roster who Sanders could learn from.

Having Carr in the building gives Sanders a year to sit after being drafted. That could be a benefit a young quarterback by having an extra year to watch the game. Holding him back a year also gives you the chance to build a better supporting cast for when Sanders does step on the field. If Carr isn’t in the team’s long-term plans, they could more easily get out of his contract in 2026 with a high-profile backup ready to step into the huddle.

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ESPN analyst sees Kyle McCord and Kellen Moore as a ‘strong fit’ for Saints

Don’t like Derek Carr, Spencer Rattler or Jake Haener? ESPN’s Dan Orvlosky sees Syracuse QB Kyle McCord and the Saints as a ‘strong fit’

At this point, it’s pretty safe to project Kellen Moore as the next head coach of the New Orleans Saints. New Orleans has to wait until after the Super Bowl to officially hire the Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator, but they’ve told everyone else the race is more or less over.

As an offensive minded head coach, the first thought becomes what is he going to do at quarterback. A recent report from The Athletic’s Dianna Russini suggested Moore was less than enthralled with the quarterback room, though he may have come around on the idea of working with them anyway.

Don’t like Derek Carr, Spencer Rattler or Jake Haener? ESPN’s Dan Orvlosky believes Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord would be a “strong fit.”

Drafting a quarterback from the Senior Bowl has been a recent trend for New Orleans. Ian Book, Haener and Rattler all attended the Senior Bowl before getting picked in the fourth and fifth rounds. The Saints could switch it up under new leadership.

McCord attended the Shrine Bowl and was recognized as one of the top performers during practice. CBS Sports’ Emory Hunt said McCord “had a fantastic week throwing the football, just building on what he all season at Syracuse.”

In his lone season at Syracuse, McCord led the FBS in passing yards while also finishing top-five in passing touchdowns. This would mark the third year in a row the Saints drafted a quarterback in the middle of the draft, McCord’s likely range. As with Rattler and Haener, the commitment to a mid-round is low.

This could easily be Moore taking a chance for 2025 while keeping the door open to select a quarterback early in the 2026 NFL draft.

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Former Saints quarterback a no-brainer to join Kellen Moore’s staff

The New Orleans Saints have an easy choice for an open spot on Kellen Moore’s coaching staff, and it happens to be a former player.

The New Orleans Saints are seemingly getting close to bringing Kellen Moore in to be their next head coach, which means it is time to start thinking about who could join him on the staff.

One coach in particular makes perfect sense as someone that has experience with both parties. Doug Nussmeier is currently the quarterbacks coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, his first year with the team. He held the same role with the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers under Moore as well. It’s clear that there is some chemistry and trust between the two coaches.

The two actually opposed each other back when Moore was the star quarterback of the Boise State Broncos. That’s when Nussmeier was the offensive coordinator of the Fresno State Bulldogs. The Broncos won that game 61-10. Derek Carr came to Fresno State the next year but didn’t start until 2011.

Nussmeier is also familiar with the Saints, as he was a fourth-round selection by the team during the 1994 NFL draft. He spent four seasons in New Orleans, largely as a backup. The quarterback started two games, both losses, and only touched the field in a total of five games. He hopped around for a couple of years as backup, even for the BC Lions of the CFL in 2000.

His coaching career started the next year, still with the Lions. From there he mostly hopped around college, with stays at schools like the Alabama Crimson Tide and Michigan Wolverines, but he has followed Moore around the NFL since they joined forces on the Cowboys. Louisiana football fans will take notice of his more now for being the father of LSU Tigers star passer Garrett Nussmeier.

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The Saints didn’t get an F, but their 2024 season grade is far from passing

“Injuries and the decline of the defense” resulted in the Saints’ worst season since 2005. These struggles shaped their final season grade

It’s hard to say too many good things about the New Orleans Saints season, and Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton didn’t try to fake it. He gave New Orleans a D grade.

The Saints’ season-long battle with injuries is a huge reason for it, but not the only reason. Moton correctly summed up the Saints’ 2024 demise: “they fell apart because of injuries and a declining defense.”

Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed missed a combined 20 games. Alvin Kamara missed the last three week. Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz and Lucas Patrick missed time simultaneously, making it harder for rookie backup Spencer Rattler during Derek Carr’s seven-game absence.

All of those injuries were on the offense, however. Paulson Adebo was really the lone injury defensively. Marshon Lattimore’s absence was spent mostly in Washington. The defense simply got too old and slow — and then they played without discipline by drawing too many penalties and giving up easy running lanes.

The defense still struggled with allowing explosive plays and fundamentals, such as tackling. It was these issues that made Dennis Allen’s departure mandatory. Not only was the team struggling to win games, his side of the ball was beginning to struggle as well.

What was once the backbone of the team turned into as much of a liability as the injured offense. The pairing of the two led to the worst season by the Saints in nearly 20 years. They must be better in 2025.

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