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Reporter names 'most likely option' for Saints' Derek Carr dilemma
Even though New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and recently hired head coach Kellen Moore insisted during the NFL Scouting Combine, which took place from Feb. 27-March 2, that Derek Carr will remain the club's starting quarterback for at least another season, some pointed out at the time the Saints could still move on from Carr.
However, Saints reporter Katherine Terrell of ESPN shared in a piece published Wednesday that a restructuring of Carr's contract "seems like the most likely option" regarding the club's salary-cap situation.
"A full restructure of Carr's contract would free up $30.9M in 2025 but push $7.7M into 2026, giving him a 2026 cap figure of $69M. That means the Saints will have to make a decision about Carr's contract again next offseason," Terrell explained. "...The upside is that a full restructure of Carr's contract puts the Saints more than halfway to cap compliance."
Carr made it known in January that he won't accept a pay cut this offseason to give the Saints any financial relief. With that said, New Orleans likely couldn't find an immediate upgrade at the position if the club parted ways with the 33-year-old.
Sam Darnold of the Minnesota Vikings will almost certainly be out of the Saints' price range when free agency officially begins on March 12. Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets, Kirk Cousins of the Atlanta Falcons and Russell Wilson of the Pittsburgh Steelers are merely bridge options for teams. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh backup Justin Fields and Vikings QB2 Daniel Jones are projects.
Somewhat interestingly, The Athletic's Dane Brugler predicted in his latest mock draft that Shedeur Sanders will be on the board when the Saints are called to spend the ninth overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. Brugler also had the Saints passing on Sanders, in part because some in the league have second-round grades on the Colorado quarterback.
On Tuesday, NFL reporter Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic mentioned that New Orleans will likely "just roll with" Carr for at least one more season even though Loomis and Moore may truly want to go in a different direction sooner rather than later. At this point, it seems Carr will enter a "prove-it" campaign as it pertains to his Saints future this coming September.
More must-reads:
- NFL personnel reportedly leave combine with clear favorite between Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders
- Insider predicts Browns will make bold draft move that impacts QB class, Giants
- The 'New Orleans Saints head coaches' quiz
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Dolphins humiliated by Lions at joint practice
Joint practices have revealed some problems for the Miami Dolphins with a few weeks to go before the regular season. Tua Tagovailoa started against the Chicago Bears in Sunday's preseason game, wanting to show improvement after having a bad showing during the Dolphins' joint practice in Chicago on Friday. Tagovailoa did play better, going 5-of-6 passing for 27 yards and led the Dolphins to the Chicago 1-yard line before the offense was stopped on downs. A few days later, Tagovailoa and the offense had another poor performance at their joint practice with the Detroit Lions. Per Colton Pouncy of The Athletic, Miami couldn't score in the red zone against a motivated Lions defense during Wednesday's practice. "Dolphins offense just ran 16 or so plays in the red zone vs. the Lions and didn’t score until the final play (between the second units)," Pouncy posted on X. "Miami’s first-team offense didn’t score in the 7-8 plays vs. Detroit’s first-team defense. It was ugly. Lions’ D is having a day." Pouncy's observation of the Lions manhandling the Dolphins was universal among beat reporters covering the Lions and Dolphins, with The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner calling it the most "lopsided" practice he'd witnessed covering the NFL. Last week, Omar Kelly of the Miami Sun Sentinel said Miami folded when the Bears defense began to whip on the offense. The accusations of the Dolphins being a soft team are going to continue until they decide to fight back in joint practices or against opponents in the regular season. When healthy, the Lions have a fierce defense. So Detroit having the edge isn't a surprise, though not being able to score during 16 plays in the red zone is a concern. Miami doesn't appear to have found an identity, and that could spell doom for the season if it doesn't get it figured out before Week 1.
Former Oregon WR's career may have new life after transfer decision
Ryan Pellum's career with the Oregon Ducks was over before it even started, but it may have new life. The former four-star wideout from Long Beach, California, was ranked as the No. 26 wide receiver in the 2024 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. Pellum took a redshirt last season at Oregon before hitting the transfer portal in January. He was then arrested and charged with assault with use of a firearm after he allegedly pistol-whipped someone in his hometown on Christmas Day in 2024. In June, Pellum was sentenced to probation as part of a plea deal, and now he's trying to get his college football hopes back on track. As such, it's being reported that Pellum will transfer to Delaware State for the 2025 season. Notably, he'll be joining up with former NFL star and three-time Pro Bowler DeSean Jackson, who is heading into his first season as the Hornets' head coach. As a senior in high school, Pellum caught 66 passes for 991 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was at one time committed to USC, but he flipped to Dan Lanning and the Ducks on signing day. Delaware State, located in Dover, Delaware, is an FCS program that is a part of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The Hornets went 2-21 over the past two seasons under head coach Lee Hull, who was fired less than two years after he took over the program.
Cowboys fans won't like Jerry Jones' update on Micah Parsons standoff
With the regular season approaching, the Dallas Cowboys should be aiming to extend EDGE Micah Parsons promptly. But they're still in no rush to do that. Parsons is set to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract in 2025 and has requested a trade. Dallas insists it has no plans to move the 26-year-old pass-rusher but hasn't clarified when it will extend him. Giving him a new deal before the regular-season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 4 at 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock) seems wise. Dallas owner Jerry Jones, however, said that's not the team's deadline, nor does it need one. "No, not at all," Jones said Wednesday, via Jonah Javad of WFAA-TV in Dallas. "You don't have deadlines when you're playing under contract." Parsons is under contract, but that doesn't mean he must suit up. The EDGE could hold out of regular-season games, like former Cowboys star running back Emmitt Smith did in 1993. The Pro Football Hall of Famer missed the first two games of the season before becoming the league's highest-paid RB at that time. Parsons hasn't said whether he would hold out of regular-season games, but it's apparent he's unhappy with where things stand. "My mouth is closed," Parsons said Wednesday while leaving the practice field in Oxnard, California, via Field Level Media. Jones didn't say if talks with Parsons would resume when the Cowboys return to Texas for their second preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens. The matchup is scheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. The owner still seems confident Parsons will play on the fifth-year option if Dallas doesn't sign him before the start of the regular season. "Again, all you've got to go on are contracts," Jones said. "We are negotiating for a contract. When you do a contract, you would hope that after a negotiation, that's what both the team and player look to see what our obligations are. I have a lot of respect for the contract." Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb played the last years of their rookie contracts. Perhaps Jones wants Parsons to do the same. Still, that would be silly. Paying the four-time Pro Bowler should be a no-brainer for the Cowboys, so they should stop wasting time and show him the money.
Taylor Swift went bonkers when Chiefs selected speedy WR in 2024
When Taylor Swift started dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce in 2023, she knew little about football. Now, the pop star is obsessed with the sport. She tracks who the Chiefs select in the NFL Draft. During her Wednesday debut on Kelce's podcast, "New Heights," Swift recalled going bonkers when Kansas City selected wide receiver Xavier Worthy with pick No. 28 in the 2024 draft. "Oh my god, I fell in love with [football]," Swift said. "I became obsessed with it. I became a person who was running through the halls of my house screaming, 'We drafted Xavier Worthy.' And my friends were like. 'Who's body snatched you? What do you mean we drafted Xavier Worthy?' I was screeching. I couldn't believe it." Kelce said Swift was the first person to tell him the Chiefs selected Worthy, who set a 40-yard dash record (4.21 seconds) at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "You were the first person to tell me that we drafted the fastest man in the draft," he said. "I couldn't believe it either. I was like, 'Is she right?' I'm gonna have to look this up. Did she get the wrong information here?' But, yeah, we traded up [from pick No. 32 with the Buffalo Bills]." Along with monitoring the Chiefs' drafts, Swift has learned more about the sport's various pass coverages and rules. The 14-time Grammy winner admitted she thought all offensive players played at the same time and didn't know what a first down was before she started dating Kelce. "We're talking about Cover 2, Cover 4, Cover 0, man coverage," she said. "I'm not ready to be an analyst right now, but give me 16 months." Perhaps one of the league's broadcast crews will let Swift make a brief appearance in the booth when she attends one of Kelce's games. Worthy, meanwhile, could continue to showcase why he made Swift ecstatic on draft night. In his rookie season, he had 59 receptions for 638 yards and six touchdown catches in 17 games. With the Chiefs expanding his role this season, he could be in for a more productive year.
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