From The Insiders on @NFLNetwork: The #Saints now have a major QB question thanks to Derek Carr's shoulder injury. pic.twitter.com/0set0CmlAb
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 11, 2025
Rapoport notes that should Carr opt for surgery, he will likely be unavailable for the beginning of the 2025 season and could even miss the entire year.
Carr missed seven games in 2024 due to a variety of ailments, including a broken hand and an oblique injury. His shoulder injury didn't appear in the Saints' weekly injury reports.
Carr has played an up-and-down two seasons with the Saints, winning 14 of his 27 starts while averaging 223.1 passing yards per game and 6.65 net yards per attempt. He has two years remaining on a four-year, $150 million contract signed in 2023. Cutting or trading him would saddle the Saints with nearly $80 million in dead money.
The Saints are in a delicate position with Carr. They've failed to find a credible alternative so far, either via the development or free agency, and he has kept them competitive enough to miss out on a top draft pick. The Saints desperately need a young quarterback, but they could have trouble finding a player who's ready to start with the ninth-overall pick.
The Saints could theoretically pursue Aaron Rodgers, who remains unsigned, but it's difficult to imagine they could provide a more enticing situation than the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have been in talks with Rodgers for weeks.
Ultimately, the Saints have no good options available to them. Unless they can hit the motherlode in the draft, they could have a long, fruitless 2025 season ahead of them.
Photo Credit: © Brad Penner-Imagn Images
