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.