Saints Cap Moves: 3 restructure, 1 extension , 1 release; cap space is at -$4,078,787 (197 Viewers)

[SonOfNOLA]

Thats a strange way for JasonOTC to explain Carr’s dead money to make his 2026 cap situation seem worst than what it is based on the high numbers. It’s known that Carr will carry a very high rostered cap hit/release dead money cap hit no matter what.

He’s leaving out really important info that the Saints can have immediate sub-$10 million cap savings from a Jan/Feb release right after the 2025 season. Saints won’t have to wait until post-June 1 in 2026 to see significant cap savings like they would have in 2025. But they have the option to maximize a 2026 cut as a June 1 to get $50M cap savings. Only mentioning the dead money makes it seem like there’s no cap relief from a Carr release in 2026.

The cut’s 59.67M dead money will be less than the rostered 69.2M cap hit while the cut’s 9.5M difference will go into the cap space. Thats significant cap space to have to combine with the likely $20 million cap space Saints should have in 2026 after 2025 signings.

 

[44slayer]

Will be Interesting to see how we draft 32-40 players “early”.

Adebo @ 19 milly though. Offseason cake taker.

 

[St. Widge]

Thats a strange way for JasonOTC to explain Carr’s dead money to make his 2026 cap situation seem worst than what it is based on the high numbers. It’s known that Carr will carry a very high rostered cap hit/release dead money cap hit no matter what.

He’s leaving out really important info that the Saints can have immediate sub-$10 million cap savings from a Jan/Feb release right after the 2025 season. Saints won’t have to wait until post-June 1 in 2026 to see significant cap savings like they would have in 2025. But they have the option to maximize a 2026 cut as a June 1 to get $50M cap savings. Only mentioning the dead money makes it seem like there’s no cap relief from a Carr release in 2026.

The cut’s 59.67M dead money will be less than the rostered 69.2M cap hit while the cut’s 9.5M difference will go into the cap space. Thats significant cap space to have to combine with the likely $20 million cap space Saints should have in 2026 after 2025 signings.

Jason OTC hates how the Saints do the cap and takes every opportunity to make it sound as bad as possible. There are issues with the things Loomis has done recently, and I think the Carr deal was a bad contract, but it's not as bad as Jason OTC makes it out to be.

 

[44slayer]

Good lord. A lotta zeros on that number. Same as his playoff wins. Looks like we are pushing this into 2027 and maybe a new GM by then, and a new HC.

Just not a good situation no matter how you slice it. Unless you have the ability to perpetually look another year into the future.

 

[Nolan]

Is adebo really trying to get $19M APY?

He'll 100% get that on the open market.

 

[Taker597]

He'll 100% get that on the open market.

Didn't know #2 corners was making that much now

 

[texasjefe]

You do realize that all commenters are visible regardless of who you follow, right? Hell, even some of the so called sports reporters we all follow are throwing temper tantrums this evening, intentionally fanning the flames for clicks. Don’t act so obtuse about what’s happening. Come on now.

Ok, now even easier for me to diagnose your twitter usage.

Years ago, I learned not to waste my time reading twitter commenters or care what they were saying, especially since you, I and many of us read tons of posts here every day. The post quality and discussions here are light years better. I care what St. Geezy and all the regulars say here. I don't care what @Brees46205448 has to say on twitter.

As for the fans and indies who have created their own pundit platforms with podcasts, youtube, tiktok accounts etc.. and draw alot of subscribers and consumers, that's gotta be so much fun for them, but I'm sorry, I don't care or spend time with them and their takes. Same with the folks who are radio hosts but they want people watching them on youtube while they are broadcasting, so you can see their animated personalities and for the engagement chatting.

So, it's not that I'm being obtuse, it's that I ditched those Saints feeback loops a long time ago. I would feel i was being obtuse if I spent time consuming their takes.

I subscribed for a year to Nick and Trip, but same concept, I don't have time or interest to consume all their content, so no more, especially if I'm here.

I now will listen to Ross Jackson a few times a week because his show is short, he talks fast, and mostly, because he's mentoring a young "goddaghter" of mine breaking into Saints media. This person is also someone that @TheNOLAGirl has given the opportunity to write Saints articles and have them published, so my appreciation for Tina is immense.

I stayed on twitter despite Elon because the content is still more fun and funny and I see it faster. I rarely post. I don't "follow" people, I take the twitter folks I would follow, and I add them to lists in categories and see it there in the pinned lists. There are less ads on lists. If e.g. Taker or Elias tweets, I'm gonna see it because the algorithm is more equitable in the lists.

 

[sfidc3]

I've said since the moment CKM was hired that I'll be fine with whatever CKM decides. Loomis....not so much, as my confidence in him has been SEVERELY shaken. But CKM has enough skins on the wall for me to be okay with HIM pulling the levers and driving the machine. That's why you hired the dude....let him drive!

And as much as I like Rattler's POTENTIAL, and hope like hell that we have our future QB already in house, the reality is that he hasn't shown enough YET (IMO) to just hand him the keys. Carr is the better QB, as of right now, until someone shows different. And apparently that's how CKM sees it also. But with that said, I do think it's pretty apparent that DC4 is NOT the future; he is the present....and is likely a bridge, as you said.

And for that reason, I have questions. Having missed the opportunity to jettison Carr for the 2025 season (right, wrong or otherwise), he is here for another season. The cost to move on from him THIS season was well-documented. How does the restructure impact 2026, and/or future seasons? Were going to be revisiting this exact same scenario NEXT offseason....what will it cost to move on from DC4 NEXT season? How painful, and for how many "dead seasons"?

I am looking at CKMs staff and noting the THREE former NFL QBs on staff, which signals to me that the Saints are very serious about QB development. Rattler is going to get every opportunity to elevate his game, as will Haener, and probably future draft picks. While Carr will be tutored in CKMs system also, I view him as "fully formed", and likely to only be "tweaked" for the system. The other guys (Rattler, Haener, unknown draftees/FAs) will be fully molded in the CKM system. I'm honestly curious what CKMs preferences will be. He's worked with a 4th rounder in Dak; a 1st rounder in Herbert; and a 2nd rounder in Hurts. All 3 are very different style QBs, but he has had success with each. And he didn't pick ANY of them...they were someone else's picks that he inherited. What does a CKM pick look like? Curiousity is killing this cat, and I can't wait to find out. Will we find out THIS draft? Or next year? I think it's pretty obvious we're geared to take a QB in the first 3 rounds this year, or next year.

Of course, none of this means that CKMs pick at QB will unseat Carr. But with all those development resources on staff, coupled with Carr's age, and all he's put on tape....it's just a matter of time. What do the exit ramps from the DC4 era look like? I'm not asking for personnel projections....those are unforseen variables at this moment. I see the contract implications as the likely guiding force, waiting for personnel variables to "trip the triggers" at the right time. 2025 is most likely set. Can we get away from Carr in 2026 if we want to? Can some of you cap gurus paint the picture of what we're dealing with in 2026 now? possible beyond? TIA!

I'm not a cap guru but my take on the recent events are thusly....

1) KM obviously likes Carr enough to believe he gives the Saints the best chance to win....now....
2) As stated earlier, he likely believes Rattler is not ready just yet and may (or may not) believe he is not the QB of his future....
3) Supposedly this is one of the weaker QB drafts in recent years and next year's is supposed to be much better so perhaps he has his sights on a QB in the draft in 2026? Not sure but makes some sense.....

We will see what happens, also nice post!!!

 

[Elvis]

Thats a strange way for JasonOTC to explain Carr’s dead money to make his 2026 cap situation seem worst than what it is based on the high numbers. It’s known that Carr will carry a very high rostered cap hit/release dead money cap hit no matter what.

He’s leaving out really important info that the Saints can have immediate sub-$10 million cap savings from a Jan/Feb release right after the 2025 season. Saints won’t have to wait until post-June 1 in 2026 to see significant cap savings like they would have in 2025. But they have the option to maximize a 2026 cut as a June 1 to get $50M cap savings. Only mentioning the dead money makes it seem like there’s no cap relief from a Carr release in 2026.

The cut’s 59.67M dead money will be less than the rostered 69.2M cap hit while the cut’s 9.5M difference will go into the cap space. Thats significant cap space to have to combine with the likely $20 million cap space Saints should have in 2026 after 2025 signings.

I don't think so at all. That minor amount of cap savings is irrelevant. Saving $9.5 million doesn't change his dead cap number of $59,670,000 at all and that is a MASSIVE number to carry for a player not on the team. The only player to have that kind of dead money was Russell Wilson after the Broncos made one of the worst decisions in NFL history. Deshawn Watson will soon follow. That is where we are with his numbers.

 

[oodank]

No disrespect to the thread but do we have to keep rehashing the same conversation in new threads???

How about somebody breakdown Carr's tape and give us some insights on his game....

 

[SonOfNOLA]

I don't think so at all. That minor amount of cap savings is irrelevant. Saving $9.5 million doesn't change his dead cap number of $59,670,000 at all and that is a MASSIVE number to carry for a player not on the team. The only player to have that kind of dead money was Russell Wilson after the Broncos made one of the worst decisions in NFL history. Deshawn Watson will soon follow. That is where we are with his numbers.

Carr’s cap is what it is though. It’s inevitable that it’s a large number. But Jason not mentioning the Feb/Mar 2026 cap savings, and the projected 2026 cap space that the Saints will have after 2025 signings, makes it seem like the Saints are perpetually wrecked by Carr’s high 2026 cap hit/dead money. But that isn’t the case since they’ll have a way out with some cap relief from the cut.

 

[Elvis]

Carr’s cap is what it is though. It’s inevitable that it’s a large number. But Jason not mentioning an immediate 2026 release’s cap savings, and the projected 2026 cap space that the Saints will have after 2025 signings, makes it seem like the Saints are perpetually wrecked by Carr’s high 2026 cap hit/dead money. But that isn’t the case since they’ll have a way out with cap relief.

That would be like cutting Taysom this year and highlighting the $277k savings when the real story would be his $17.7 million dead cap hit. It's not significant enough to mention as it isn't the main story.

 

[SonOfNOLA]

That would be like cutting Taysom this year and highlighting the $277k savings when the real story would be his $17.7 million dead cap hit. It's not significant enough to mention as it isn't the main story.

Probably similar in percentage to their cap hits. But $9.5 million cap savings is very significant cap space to utilize or have at disposal. Its significant enough to mention. While 277k isn’t much to do anything with in cap room.

 

[Rexman100]

He'll 100% get that on the open market.

I think his worth is 2 year 19m. That Sigler guy is a negative Twitter troll. His last tweet about Carrs restructure : “THE CALIFORNIA BASED Derek Carr won’t help out his team”. Or something inflammatory like that. Coming from a guy that looks like he hasn’t bathed in his life.

 

[SonOfNOLA]

Carr is essentially on a 1 year deal. Saints will have $9,537,000 cap savings when he’s probably released at the start of the 2026 offseason. Kellen Moore likely drafts his own young franchise QB in the 1st round by year 2. In the meantime, he’ll compete in his first HC year with a proven vet QB while not being significantly trapped to Carr’s cap hits beyond 2025.

Its not a bad outcome to keep a proven 4k yard-65% vet passer for a year. Kellen’s staff should win a minimum 9-10 games in the NFCS in year 1 as long as Carr is healthy.