Saints Have Made A Decision About Derek Carr’s Contract

Saints restructuring Derek Carr's contract to save $23 million against the salary cap, per report - CBSSports.com

Typically, the New Orleans Saints begin each offseason with a gigantic amount of salary cap space to clear before the new league year begins in March.

This offseason is no different for the Saints, but they’ve already been making some moves to get their head above water, including one on Friday that involved quarterback Derek Carr.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Twitter, New Orleans has restructured Carr’s contract with the team to create about $23 million in cap space.

Carr is still going to make a bunch of money for the 2024 season, but his cap hit is just going to be lower to help New Orleans fix their finances before the league’s free agency period begins in a few weeks.

Despite the Saints missing the playoffs this past season, many assumed Carr would remain the team’s starting quarterback for 2024, and Friday’s news pretty much cements this.

The veteran quarterback signed with New Orleans last year after spending the first nine seasons of his NFL career with the Raiders when they were located in both Las Vegas and Oakland.

With the Saints in 2023, Carr completed 68.4 percent of his passes for 3,878 yards, 25 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.

So, he definitely put up solid numbers, but unfortunately for New Orleans, it wasn’t enough to help them earn a spot in the playoffs.

This offseason, the Saints hired Klint Kubiak as their new offensive coordinator, and the team is hoping that his arrival can help get the most out of Carr during the 2024 campaign.

Will Kubiak and Carr form a successful duo, or will New Orleans end up coming up short of the postseason for the fourth year in a row?

Saints, Derek Carr restructure contract to clear up cap space

The New Orleans Saints have restructured QB Derek Carr’s contract in an attempt to get the team closer to complying with the league’s salary cap, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The move is expected to give the Saints a $23 million salary-cap relief.

Carr, who signed a four-year, $150 million contract with the Saints last March, was set to receive a $30 million base salary this season. The team opted to convert it into a signing bonus to move closer to cap compliance by the March 13 deadline.

The 32-year-old quarterback finished the season with 3,878 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions, leading the Saints to a 9-8 record.

Despite finishing tied for first place in the division, they lost the playoff tiebreaker to their rival, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

This will not be the final move for the Saints, who remain $40 million over the salary cap. Expect more contract reconstructions and possible releases in the coming weeks.