Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr is rumored to be going to the Saints as his time in a Raiders uniform appears to be over.
Derek Carr, Saints rumored to be a suitor https://t.co/LkGm21V5PL via @thewonkypenguin #RaiderNation
— FantasyPros (@FantasyProsNFL) February 3, 2023
After acquiring extra draft capital by trading Sean Payton, the New Orleans Saints could be a player on the quarterback trade market this offseason.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler noted that some teams interested in Carr will be looking to amend his contract to facilitate a trade with the Los Vegas Raiders.
Carr’s time with the Raiders is almost certainly over, barring a last-minute reconciliation between the two parties. He was benched for the last two games of the regular season, in part because his 2023 salary would have been fully guaranteed if he suffered a serious injury.
The four-time Pro Bowler sent a farewell message to Raiders fans on Jan. 12. Carr followed up with a cryptic tweet on January 21. He said it was “the hardest thing in the world not to jump into every interview and tell me the whole truth” about what happened late in the season with the Raiders.
If the Raiders are going to trade Carr, they’ll probably want to find a partner before February 15. That’s his base salary date of $32.9 million for next season. However, $7.5 million of his 2024 salary is also fully guaranteed on that date.
Carr said during Pro Bowl Games on Thursday that he has no intention of extending that deadline.
The Saints, however, will have to do some extreme cap maneuvering to get business as usual. They are currently $57.4 million over the 2023 salary cap. Jameis Winston and Jake Luton are the only quarterbacks under contract.
Tom Brady’s retirement has left the NFC South open, one of the worst divisions in the NFL. All four teams in the division are likely to go after the quarterback market this offseason. However, if Carr ended up in New Orleans, they would be instant favorites to win the division according to Louisiana sportsbooks.
The Saints used Winston and Andy Dalton as their starting quarterbacks this season. They combined to throw for 3,729 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.
Carr passed for 3,522 yards, 24 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 15 starts for the Raiders during the 2022 season.
