The New Orleans Saints have plenty of questions to answer this offseason, from who the head coach will be, to who the quarterback will be. Derek Carr missed seven games in 2024 due to injury, including the final four contests due to a broken hand. He signed a four-year, $150 million contract with New Orleans in 2023, and as it stands currently, will count $51.45 million against the Saints' salary cap in 2025. Would Carr take a pay cut to remain in New Orleans? The answer is no.
"I wouldn't take a pay cut," Carr told ESPN. "Yeah, I wouldn't do that. Especially with what I put on tape. Would I restructure? Absolutely. I'll always help the team that way. But there's some things that you put out there that you earned. Even in some cases it could be even worse, but I felt confident when I signed it that this would give the team the best flexibility at the time. ... But there's always a kind of respect as a quarterback you're like, well still we're in that respectful lane. 'We're good. Build the team.' But yeah, I wouldn't take anything less to do this. It's hard enough putting our bodies through it. And you're trying to get everything you can for your family for it."
Carr's comments are notable since it's the Saints we're talking about. New Orleans has the worst cap situation in the NFL, as it is currently projected to be nearly $67 million over the cap in 2025. No other NFL team is more than $22 million over the cap. A Carr restructure is almost guaranteed unless the Saints want to release him with a post-June 1 designation, allowing the franchise to spread out his dead cap hit over two years.
Carr went 5-5 as the Saints' starter in 2024, throwing 15 touchdowns compared to five interceptions while averaging 214.5 passing yards per game. Carr threw multiple touchdowns in 30% of his games, but didn't cross 300 yards passing once. During a Week 9 loss to the Carolina Panthers, former Saints wideout Michael Thomas ranted about Carr's performance on social media, calling him "so ass."
Carr told ESPN that he has already had "super positive" conversations with the Saints about his future, but he apparently has made it clear he's not taking a pay cut.
"That's the life of a quarterback," Carr said. "Whenever the season doesn't end the way [you wanted] that's the person people look at. 'Well what money can we free up to get this and do this' ... and I'm fully confident with what I put on tape. I'm not worried, if that's the case, and it had to change and all that kind of stuff. I'm super confident that whatever it is, I could get anywhere else to play. And so I'm not worried about that, but at the same time, I just want to win."
