Derek Carr won’t take a pay cut for 2025 but willing to restructure to help the cap (39 Viewers)

[Elvis]

This is ridiculous.

One guy wins .222 % and the other guy win .500% behind a much-maligned offensive line,

One dude throws more ints than TD and the other guy throws 3 TD for every Int. (15 TDs 5Ints in 2024)

If the difference in outcome is negligible, why spend the big money on the QB while there are so many other holes? Fix the holes and play the cheaper, younger QB to see if he can develop. I'm not saying Minshew either, I'm just saying a cheaper, younger QB. We don't have to look far. We have one on the roster.

 

[Stalwart385]

It's unrealistic to expect Carr to be cut. Everyone crying for it might as well cry that they need to win the lotto. It's making this place insufferable, get real.

 

[Saints fan]

Idk, the data suggest that we won more w/ Carr than without. He was also a top 8 QB in QBR while he played, IMHO it makes more sense to just keep him for one more year w/ out touching his contract, while Developing Rattler to take over either at some point in 2025 or immediately in 2026.

I'd be fine with not touching his contract, getting through next season and moving on.. If we are restructuring to keep him here longer, then absolutely not. Now, if he wanted to take a decrease in salary so that we could get a good OLine, get some WRs, maybe some help on Defense.. then sure restructure his contract.

I agree with continuing to develop Rattler to potentially take over after next season.

 

[HouseCall]

Joe Mixon took a pay cut, after a down year in 2022. Plus, he’s a RB, who took the pay cut after his 6th season, also after signing a 4 year $48 million dollar contract initially. I mean, RBs have a shorter shelf life, and they don’t see contracts the size that QBs do.

Poor decision on Mixon’s part. His team-friendly decision to reduce a contractually agreed upon compensation led to a 9-8 season with no playoffs for the Bengals in 2023 and then being traded the following season.

I’ll also add that Carr didn’t have a down year. He was injured a couple of times, but his stats were really good.

 

[SweetT]

Poor decision on Mixon’s part. His team-friendly decision to reduce a contractually agreed upon compensation led to a 9-8 season with no playoffs for the Bengals in 2023 and then being traded the following season.

I’ll also add that Carr didn’t have a down year. He was injured a couple of times, but his stats were really good.

Yeah things do go the way Mixon planned, but it still says something about what he was willing to do for his team to win

 

[SweetT]

Idk, the data suggest that we won more w/ Carr than without. He was also a top 8 QB in QBR while he played, IMHO it makes more sense to just keep him for one more year w/ out touching his contract, while Developing Rattler to take over either at some point in 2025 or immediately in 2026.

Ok, but were we winning against winning teams? It’s cool to say that we won with him, but did those wins come against good competition?
For me, it was his comment about “what he put on tape”. Personally, I look at the win column. It’s a given that a seasoned vet should lead his team to victories against inferior opponents, but did his “tape” show that he led us to a .500 record against winning teams? It did not.
So, that’s the part that has me conflicted.

 

[ELLIASJWILLIAMS]

Ironically I don't buy that "super positive" ish that Carr's spewing. I think the conversations was frank. He had the 3rd best QBR rating of his career in 2024, while also being available for the fewest games of his career. As of right now the Saints evaluation of Carr is probably incomplete, but at 33/34 years of age there isn't a long runway for evaluating him.

They discussed keeping him on the roster, and paying him...but likely nothing is guaranteed as it was prior under Allen. We'll know how "super positive" it was when they restructure him or not. There was no reason for him to come out and say he's open to that, if they'd approached him about it during talks.

 

[Booker]

Minshew went 2-7 as a starter threw 9 TDs and 10 Interceptions with the raiders this year
Carr is 14-13 as a starter with 40TDs and 13 Ints as a Saint


Cutting Carr to sign Minshew is about the dumbest thing a GM could do and would merit getting himself fired.

That's not the point. Cutting Carr wouldn't be about getting better in 2025, which will probably be rough with or without Carr. It would be about getting better faster in 2026 and beyond by freeing up $30M in cash to acquire or retain the young talent that will be the nucleus of this team when it is ready to contend again.

There's no guarantee it would work, of course, but that would be the thought process behind it.

The thing to keep in mind is that what we're looking at isn't like in 2006 when Payton was hired. The 2005 team had some talent, it had just been poorly coached and then was done in by a generational disaster, and when Payton arrived there was cap space to burn.

Likewise in 2000, when Haslett came on board there was cap space to go hunting free agents, which allowed for a quick turnaround.

What we're looking at in 2024 going into 2025 is akin to 1996 going into 1997, when the team had struggled with managing the cap while its core talent had gotten old (and, ironically, Derek Carr is literally the modern equivalent of Jim Everett, who put up decent numbers but consistently lost more than he won).

 

[SWJJ]

Coaches can't come in and do things with down thew road in mind.

No coach is going to be okay with cutting Carr to sign Minshew

That horseshirt idea is ridiculous and no front office or head coach would do so, but whatever. I'm over y'all ridiculousness.

 

[DaveXA]

I'd cut him and just eat it the money.... We aren't winning anything with him. And has he been healthy for a full season that's he's in NOLA?

This isn't a leader or a team first guy.. .. Tom Brady took a paycut while in New England and I know darn well that what TB12 had on tape was better.

Well, to be sure, we aren't winning with any QB not named Mahomes or Allen because the rest of the roster is a mess. Until the roster is improved, the team won't be winning much.

You'll have a better chance of winning with Carr than someone like Minshew, but then, you'll save some cap space by going with a cheaper qb. Just understand the savings aren't gonna be all that much this year. Next year will matter more though.

 

[ELLIASJWILLIAMS]

Ok, but were we winning against winning teams? It’s cool to say that we won with him, but did those wins come against good competition?
For me, it was his comment about “what he put on tape”. Personally, I look at the win column. It’s a given that a seasoned vet should lead his team to victories against inferior opponents, but did his “tape” show that he led us to a .500 record against winning teams? It did not.
So, that’s the part that has me conflicted.

Well, by large inside the building coaches during the season pointed out his decision making had been on point all season. He was definitely playing at a high level in Kubiaks scheme. Up until his injury it was his best QB rating of his career and that was w/ all the missing pieces etc. It hurt more to not have him on the field than it did having him on it, that's for sure.

I think he'll be gone in a year and that's the best outcome for everyone involved. We thought we were getting a lesser version of Brees when we signed him. I remember the big selling point was he'd have so much control at the LOS, checking into plays etc. Turns out he was nothing like Drew in reading defenses pre/post snap, and he definitely wasn't great at running Payton's offense.

We miss evaluated him, and that happens to all teams at all positions.

 

[CowtownSaint]

I guess I’m confused. Why is there an argument that Carr will make us a mid level team? And if so why would we want that? At this point we are going to need to build through the draft and basically rebuild, so wouldn’t going with rattler or a FA be a better strategy for draft position the next couple years?

Carr isn’t taking us to a Super Bowl so arguing to keep him is arguing against success essentially because we will be mid pack no playoffs and no good draft position.

 

[SigFreudianSlip]

These fellas don’t think he put much on tape. I agree with em on Rattler too. Unsure about Scourton, haven’t watched a single snap of his career.

A snippet:

1. The New Orleans Saints are yet another team where quarterback is the primary question heading into the offseason.
   With Derek Carr coming off a hand injury and not showing much before that point, and rookie Spencer Rattler not warranting a further look, something must change at the game's most important position. It's difficult to make that happen when the team isn't positioned well to acquire one of the class' top signal-callers.
   Carr very well may be the answer for one more season. Whatever the case, the team can then look elsewhere in the first round of the NFL draft.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10149411-2025-nfl-mock-draft-br-nfl-scouting-depts-post-regular-season-picks

 

[OldTimeGamer1966]

It's unrealistic to expect Carr to be cut. Everyone crying for it might as well cry that they need to win the lotto. It's making this place insufferable, get real.

I don't expect Carr to be cut just because it is so much money it makes zero sense, plus there isn't a work around to get away from it. You can restructure and then hopefully we have someone that can push him into a 2 spot and if not, you go with the veteran you are paying. Hopefully we have someone who can push Carr, whether it is Rattler or another QB that the new staff brings in having Carr pushed into a 2 spot would be nice even if he were to be overpaid as a backup but around here a backup is just as valuable as a starter.

Carr is the short-term answer as his age dictates that and his overall career has shown us. I am ready for a young QB to come in and grab the starting job and where that QB comes from doesn't matter. At the moment we are tied to him for 2025 that's a fact.

 

[OldTimeGamer1966]

These fellas don’t think he put much on tape. I agree with em on Rattler too. Unsure about Scourton, haven’t watched a single snap of his career.

A snippet:

1. The New Orleans Saints are yet another team where quarterback is the primary question heading into the offseason.
   With Derek Carr coming off a hand injury and not showing much before that point, and rookie Spencer Rattler not warranting a further look, something must change at the game's most important position. It's difficult to make that happen when the team isn't positioned well to acquire one of the class' top signal-callers.
   Carr very well may be the answer for one more season. Whatever the case, the team can then look elsewhere in the first round of the NFL draft.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10149411-2025-nfl-mock-draft-br-nfl-scouting-depts-post-regular-season-picks

Another edge rusher in the first round I don't know anything about college football so one pick is just as good as another at that spot lol. I mean we need so many things I wouldn't be disappointed in another d lineman. I definitely hope they learned their lesson and don't go full Davenport and chase someone, but this kid looks to have more experience just for the fact the school is bigger, and competition is better.

Thanks for sharing!