On Saturday, it was announced that Derek Carr will remain the starting quarterback for the New Orleans Saints heading into the 2025 season. The Saints’ decision to restructure Carr’s contract solidified the news, freeing up nearly $30 million in salary cap space. With a deadline to become cap compliant by March 12, this move provides financial flexibility and silences any speculation about Carr being cut, traded, or asked to take a pay cut.
Many fans may feel frustrated and disappointed by this announcement, but I’ve been saying this all along. While Saints GM Mickey Loomis mentioned in his press conference that the decision regarding Carr would ultimately be left to the coaching staff, he preferred to keep Carr as the team’s QB1. This belief was reinforced by new head coach Kellen Moore’s remarks, where he praised Carr without explicitly committing to him as the starter.
“Derek’s a tremendous quarterback in this league. I’ve had so much respect for him, the journey that he’s been on, he’s a starter in this league,” Moore said. “He’s a premier player in this league. I’m really excited to team up with him and go through this process, and so just like any player on this roster, I just got here a few days ago, and I’m excited to go through this journey with all of them.”
Weeks later, the commitment is official: Derek Carr is the guy.
To draw a comparison, when Aaron Glenn was introduced as the head coach of the New York Jets, his demeanor and tone suggested the team was ready to move on from Aaron Rodgers. And, as expected, just a few weeks later, the Jets announced they were parting ways with Rodgers. In contrast, Kellen Moore’s comments on Carr left the door open, and now we see the result.
The message is clear: The Saints want to win now. They’re not interested in a rebuild or bringing in a developmental quarterback. They’re going all-in with Carr, focusing on building a competitive roster around him. While this might not be the direction some fans hoped for, it’s a clear signal that the Saints aim to contend in 2025.
I’m unsurprised that the Saints are hitching their wagon to Carr. In fact, with this latest contract restructure, I wouldn’t be shocked if Carr remains on the roster in 2026. The move cleared approximately $30.9 million in cap space, which is crucial considering the Saints need to be cap-compliant by March 12. Before this deal, they were nearly $39 million over the cap, and this restructure dramatically reduced that gap.
However, there’s a catch. Due to the restructuring, Carr’s cap hit for 2026 could balloon up to $70 million. That means we could be in the same situation next offseason, restructuring deals and maneuvering the cap to make things work. This is the price of maintaining a veteran roster and trying to stay competitive without a full rebuild.
But let’s dig deeper into what’s driving this decision. This is not just about Derek Carr or getting under the salary cap. Ultimately, this is about Saints GM Mickey Loomis trying to prove that he can lead the franchise to a Super Bowl without Sean Payton and Drew Brees. He wants to cement his legacy as a Hall of Fame general manager. And honestly, even if the Saints don’t win another Super Bowl, getting this team back into contention would likely seal the deal for Loomis as a Hall of Famer.
This is all about proving that he can win on his own terms and building a competitive team with a new coach and quarterback. Only time will tell whether or not it works, but Loomis is all in on making it happen.
This is exactly why the Saints continue to kick the can down the road—restructuring contracts, pushing cap hits into future years, and placing their hopes on Derek Carr. They’re not necessarily going “all in,” but keep the window open, hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with this current roster.
Personally, I don’t have a major issue with the approach. My problem is the never-ending cycle of excuses. Every year, there’s a new reason why the team can’t compete for a championship or even win the NFC South. Carr’s first year was all about a poor offensive line, questionable play-calling by Pete Carmichael, and a lack of chemistry with the wide receivers. In Year 2, the Saints started strong, but injuries derailed the season, leading to another disappointing finish.
So, what will Year 3 bring? What new issue will surface to explain why the Saints can’t get over the hump with Derek Carr as their quarterback? At some point, something has to change. The team needs a fresh approach because if they don’t, the same problems that plagued them in the first two seasons of the Carr era will resurface.
The one glimmer of hope is that Kellen Moore, the new head coach, has no ties to the old Sean Payton regime. Maybe that signals a shift in philosophy, but it remains to be seen. The real question is: What will this team do differently to avoid the pitfalls of the last two seasons?
Throughout Carr’s tenure, whether with the Saints or his previous team, the story has been the same: injuries and inconsistencies. The Saints had a golden opportunity in Year 1—they could have won 12 games with one of the easiest schedules in NFL history, but they couldn’t get it done. If they don’t address the core issues this offseason, there’s no reason to expect anything different in 2025.
In 2024, the Saints’ season took a turn when center Erik McCoy went down with a groin injury. Derek Carr’s performance plummeted, leading to a coaching change. There was a lot of speculation that Carr might take a pay cut, with the narrative being that a reduced salary would allow the Saints to bring in more talent. If Carr performed well under a restructured deal, he could boost his stock ahead of free agency and potentially earn another big payday.
However, none of that came to pass. Carr made it clear he wasn’t taking a pay cut, and despite the chatter, the Saints chose to restructure his contract instead. According to reports from Nick Underhill, the Saints were committed to bringing Carr back, and now head coach Kellen Moore has publicly expressed his confidence in Carr. Whether Moore’s earlier reluctance to commit to Carr was genuine or simply a strategic play during his introductory press conference is something we may never know.
For now, it is what it is. The Saints have hitched their wagon to Derek Carr for 2025, perhaps even beyond. The big question is, what will be different this time? Over the past two seasons, the Saints have struggled to gain any real traction. Whether it was injuries, poor offensive line play, or inconsistent coaching, the results were the same—disappointment.
General Manager Mickey Loomis has said the Saints will be “aggressive” in free agency, but what does that mean? The real test will be how they approach the draft and whether they stick to their typical “win-now” mentality or take a more measured approach to build a sustainable roster.
It seems like Loomis is chasing the magic of the Saints’ 2017-2020 run with Drew Brees—a stretch where the team rebounded from a series of 7-9 seasons to become Super Bowl contenders again. He’s hoping to replicate that success with Derek Carr at the helm by surrounding him with strong draft picks and smart free-agent signings.
But here’s the truth: So far, the Saints haven’t been able to pull it off. They now have the 9th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft—a real chance to inject talent into the roster. Trading down to accumulate more draft capital might not be the flashiest move, but it could help address multiple areas of need.
One intriguing storyline is the development of Spencer Rattler. Reports suggest the front office is high on Rattler, potentially seeing him as Carr’s successor. Last season, it was nearly impossible to evaluate Rattler given the circumstances—poor offensive line play, injuries to key receivers, and a lack of stability on offense. Whether Rattler is the future or not, the Saints should consider bringing another quarterback to the room.
The irony is that the Saints could be good under Kellen Moore and Derek Carr. Dennis Allen wasn’t the right fit as head coach, but Moore might be. If they overachieve in 2025, what then? Do the Saints double down on Carr, restructure his contract again, and continue spreading his cap hit?
It’s not an unrealistic scenario. If Carr has a Pro Bowl season under Moore, the Saints may be inclined to extend this cycle into 2026 and beyond. Restructuring Carr’s contract clears up $30.9 million against the 2025 salary cap. It gives the Saints room to maneuver, but whether it sets them up for real success or delays the inevitable remains to be seen.
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