The New Orleans Saints enter the offseason with questions from the top down as they kick off their head coaching search. After installing their new leader, the question will turn to Derek Carr's future.
The quarterback inked a four-year, $150 million contract with the Saints in 2023. With two years remaining, the Saints must decide if they will move on and eat a chunk of dead money, or attempt to restructure Carr's contract. For his part, Carr told ESPN's Katherine Terrell that he has no interest in taking a pay cut to remain in New Orleans.
"I wouldn't take a pay cut," he said. "Yeah, I wouldn't do that. Especially with what I put on tape. Would I restructure? Absolutely. I'll always help the team that way. But there's some things that you put out there that you earned. Even in some cases it could be even worse, but I felt confident when I signed it that this would give the team the best flexibility at the time. ... But there's always a kind of respect as a quarterback you're like, well still we're in that respectful lane. 'We're good. Build the team.' But yeah, I wouldn't take anything less to do this. It's hard enough putting our bodies through it. And you're trying to get everything you can for your family for it."
Carr noted that he has had "super positive" conversations with the front office about his future. Still, at this stage, he's just focusing on getting fully healthy after missing the final four games of the season due to a broken non-throwing hand.
"I got to take care of myself and then the rest after that is really out of my hands," Carr said Monday. "I've had great conversations with everyone in this building with [general manager] Mickey [Loomis], with [owner] Ms. [Gayle] Benson, with everybody. And we all have mutual feelings and so my confidence level is very high and what can happen, what could happen. And we've shown what it could possibly be at times. The hard part is we had to deal with some stuff that we didn't get to see that full picture all the time. So we'll see."
At a minimum, a contract restructure is on the way, as he currently sits with a $51.46 million salary cap figure for 2025. Carr is due $30 million in base salary that becomes fully guaranteed if on the roster on the third day of the new league year in March -- it's guaranteed for injury. His contract also calls for a $10 million guaranteed roster bonus due in March, which would be subject to offsets if he's cut and signs elsewhere.
New Orleans is once again significantly over the projected salary cap for 2025, needing restructures and potential releases to become compliant before the new league year opens. A post-June 1 release of Carr would allow the Saints to spread the cap hit over two seasons.
In 10 games in 2024, Carr completed 67.7 percent of 279 attempts with 2,145 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. After a hot first two weeks of the season, the Saints offense cooled off and struggled to find consistency. Carr missed three games in the middle of the season with an oblique injury, then the final four tilts.
The new coach will likely have a lot to say about Carr's future in New Orleans. The Saints have, thus far, requested head coaching interviews with Lions DC Aaron Glenn, Giants OC Mike Kafka, Eagles OC Kellen Moore, former Stanford HC David Shaw and Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver. Interim coach Darren Rizzi also confirmed he would interview for the head coaching gig. Rizzi sounded optimistic about what Carr can still bring to the table.
"People can form their own opinions about Derek Carr and again, they're entitled to those," Rizzi said Monday. "We didn't win a game when he didn't start."
The Saints finished 5-12, 3-5 under Rizzi, in 2024. They've gone 14-13 in games Carr has started over two seasons.
