Derek Carr's retirement kills two birds with one stone for the Saints and they should be thankful for his decision

The decision leaves the Saints without a proven-signal caller on the roster, but frankly, Carr's retirement puts the team in a great spot moving forward. It's easy to see why: Not only do the Saints avoid dealing with anymore unknowns regarding Carr's shoulder, they've now shed his absurdly overpriced contract that was a bad deal from the start and they no longer have to live in the worst of NFL purgatories that is a mid-level quarterback contributing to yearly 9-8 or 10-7 records that either result in early playoff exits or no playoffs and a pick somewhere in the 'teens.

It's actually better for them to bottom out (potentially) with Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener, or some stopgap option and get a top 3-5 draft pick that would allow them to take a quarterback prospect that could actually fit the franchise QB bill. Especially when considering the perennial salary cap issues - a good quarterback on a cheap contract is exactly what this franchise needs.

The Saints have had plenty of issues, most of them injury-related, since Carr arrived in 2023, but his on-field play hasn't provided any kind of solution, either. The problem with Carr is he doesn't elevate the players around him - he needs a good supporting cast in order to succeed. That's not the definition of a franchise quarterback and more of a quarterback that can win you games, but won't ever take his team to the Promise Land unless the stars align in a near-perfect manner.

That fact, along with Carr's contract, are what make this a win for New Orleans. It's not like the team is completely bare at the QB position, either. The team really likes Shough and that guy named Aaron Rodgers is still out there. Carr's retirement opens up $30 million in cap space the Saints can now use to potentially lure Rodgers away from the Steelers and to the Big Easy if they want. Worst case scenario, he comes in and provides a veteran presence Shough can learn from in Year 1 and hopefully, the 2025 second-rounder can put himself in a spot to be the Saints' starter in 2026.

The prospects for both the short- and long-term view are much more exciting with Carr out of the picture. The Saints and their fans can now breathe a lot easier without this albatross hanging around their collective necks.

And with $30 million added to this year's cap and around $15 million added to next year's (assuming Carr's retirement papers are filed after June 1), along with much clearer vision and direction at the position, it's easy to see why this is a good deal for the Saints.