NFL insider suggests Saints, Derek Carr offseason saga may not be over

While many assumed the New Orleans Saints restructuring Derek Carr's contract essentially guaranteed that Carr will remain New Orleans' starting quarterback for at least one more season, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio mentioned on Monday that the Saints could trade Carr after June 1.

NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated also suggested the offseason saga involving Carr and the Saints is not yet over. 

"There was some disagreement over the past couple of weeks, as Carr and the New Orleans Saints talked about potential adjustments to the quarterback’s contract," Breer explained. "And without a resolution there, New Orleans moved to exercise its right, within the existing contract, to convert base salary into a bonus to generate some cap space with which to maneuver this week. ...In doing it, they took money from his $30M base for 2025 and turned it into a signing bonus. You can’t reverse that. So if the Saints trade him now, they’d be putting themselves on the hook for bonus money, then moving him off the roster, which makes no sense. That makes the question, from here, where Carr stands, without any adjustment made to his contract, and two years still left on that deal."

Earlier in the offseason, Carr made it clear that he "wouldn't take a pay cut" to stay with the Saints. General manager Mickey Loomis and recently hired head coach Kellen Moore subsequently hinted during the NFL Scouting Combine that they were committed to keeping Carr until further notice, but some around the league believe New Orleans could consider making a change depending on what happens with other clubs from the start of the new league year on Wednesday through the draft that wraps up on April 26. 

For what it's worth, the Saints hold the ninth pick of the player-selection process at a time when some are predicting that Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders will slide into the 20s of the draft's first round. Meanwhile, Florio pointed out that "there could be a team or two looking for an answer at [quarterback] in 2025 when May rolls around."

The Cleveland Browns are among clubs that may need a Week 1 QB1 come May 1. 

"Knowing Kellen Moore and Mickey Loomis' experience with these matters, I think they’ll come out of this with some sort of understanding, and Carr ready to go as the quarterback for 2025. But they aren’t there yet," Breer added. "So I’m still paying attention to what happens there."

If nothing else, it sounds like Carr will enter a "prove it" season if he stays with the Saints through September. It also appears there remain plenty of questions about his short-term future as of the final days of winter.