Saints could get to $14.61 million under the cap without restructuring Derek Carr, after Saints salary cap potentially increases by $5M

DSnfla said
We can't do both. You can't cut DC AND not restructure DD,Cam and Mathieu. In order to cut Carr even a 6/1 cut we would have to restructure most of the team.

I disagree, we are not as bad as you make it out to be. Our biggest issues last yr were a bad HC and INJURIES. I think that we have taken care of the coaching issues and I doubt that the coming yr can be as bad as last yr as far as injuries go.

Cutting DC 6/1 damages the team more than cutting him next yr. We would lose out on our own FAs. We would waste $ on a cheap vet QB or even worse have a throw away yr with a 1st time HC by being forced to start Rattler. There would be NO FA upgrade signings.

That's not a good way to start a new HC's regime losing 12-14 games in the 1st yr.
You bring up Campbell and Detroit, The Lions had 20 top 100 picks in the last 5 yrs including a #2 #3 and a #7 and they got Goff in the Stafford
trade . We don't have that luxury

Not counting Carr, it takes only 10 restructures, or 8 restructures and 2 paycuts, to become cap compliant. That isn’t most of the team. Cam and Taysom are guaranteed to be approached for paycuts according to NOF’s latest article. Saints have usually restructured about 10 players each offseason.

An additional 2 restructures and 2 releases, all single digit salaries, also puts the Saints under the cap at 10M+. It’s not damaging at all to 6/1-cut Carr if that’s the option Kellen Moore decided to go at QB.

The team can create immediate double digit positive cap space for key signings through other restructures while 31M potentially arrives on 6/2 for later moves. Between a third to half of that potential post 6/1 cap space could also carry over into the 2026 cap space to cover the dead money from the 2025 6/1 release. That allows the projected 40-65M 2026 cap space to not be affected by a possible 2025 6/1 cut as much.