Saints head coach Kellen Moore introductory press conference, media updates, February 13, 2025

St. Widge said

I agree people are looking bit far into the comment. But, I do think the fact that Moore did not just say "Yes, Derek Carr is our starting QB" means that there is at least some question in his mind if Carr will be the starting QB. That could be about whether Carr will take a pay cut, could be about whether they could actually cut him and field a competitive team, could be that he's not sure if he can find a better option, etc.

But, I do think it's fair to conclude that Moore and the front office think there is a decision to be made regarding whether Carr is the starting QB next year.

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I think as well it comes back to WHY the questions were asked in the first place. Mike et al brought it up, and we’re all subsequently trying to interpret Moore’s answer, because of the previous report/“scuttlebutt”/slip of the tongue (however you want to take Russini’s comment) that implied Moore needed assurances that he wasn’t tied to Carr if he took the job.

The seed of doubt that Carr was a part if Moore’s plan was planted before he even took the job. I think ultimately it comes down to the fact that right now, on day 1 essentially, he does not know yet what’s possible with regards to Carr’s contract vs the cap situation vs the options at qb (either in house or outside of it). That’s why he talked about it all as a process that they would do together. Whether Carr is the QB or not, he will still be an active part of that process as it directly relates to his contract (restructure and keep him as QB1, try and figure out a trade situation, or figure out a way to do a post June 1 cut).