Saints Cap Moves: Derek Carr restructured, Erik McCoy restructured; J. Williams released; cap space is at -$8,543,537 (166 Viewers)

[SAINTSFAN]

So what exactly do you do? Restructure every single veteran to accommodate carrs departure this year? That’d be really “kicking the can”

Have barely any money for even draft picks?

None of you are putting up a compelling plan here. You’re just yelling and despairing over what you knew two weeks ago.

The keys is whether Jordan, Mathieu and Hill would take pay cuts (not restructures). After that, almost all of the remaining players needed to restructure likely play some role past next season, so there is value there. Carr is likely not part of the future. Would prefer taking the lumps now for the future, rather than continuing to spread those lumps.

 

[Boy_of_wonder75]

We'll see if that works, but is part of what concerns me. Why invest more money now when I think it is clear Carr is not part of the future. Why not take the pain now and also let the aging veterans leave after the season and use that money to start a rebuild. Investing heavily in free agency while maintaining a large dead cap for Carr seems to delay the inevitable.

How far into the future should we build for? Should we jettison all contracts for players over 30 and see what happens?

Let's say Carr plays well this year and the next and the Saints win the division, what then? Do we cast him aside?

 

[SAINTSFAN]

Doesn't matter BC next year were already 56MM under the cap. We can wait til 6/1 then.

Not how it works. We will not be $56 mm under the cap one the roster this year and next gets filled.

 

[SAINTSFAN]

How far into the future should we build for? Should we jettison all contracts for players over 30 and see what happens?

Let's say Carr plays well this year and the next and the Saints win the division, what then? Do we cast him aside?

Depends on what you consider success. Do you then extend him at 34 or 35 if wins the division and loses in the playoffs? What if he doesn't win in the playoffs, do you try again in 2026 if he wins enough to keep you from drafting high enough to get a young QB to replace him? We can play all the "what ifs" but at some point we have to face the reality of where this team is, roster-wise, and whether it is time to make changes.

Having said that, I will pull for this being the right answer and my opinion being wrong. If they suddenly turn it around and Moore turns Carr into a clutch QB, leading to playoff wins, as a Saints fan, I will be ecstatic. Hope the gamble pays off.

 

[sfidc3]

It's possible that's how it happened. What seems very unlikely at this point is that Carr is being forced on Moore or that Moore doesn't really want Carr and is just stuck with him.

I think Moore decided that Rattler is not ready for prime time and Carr buys him time to find his guy..... likely next year.....

I have no problem with this, yes the financial implications are not ideal, but Moore can start building a winning culture with Carr if they can hit on some draft picks and bring in a few quality FA's.....

Hopefully this is the last year of the bridge QB and we can get a young promising one in the near future....

 

[Boy_of_wonder75]

Depends on what you consider success. Do you then extend him at 34 or 35 if wins the division and loses in the playoffs? What if he doesn't win in the playoffs, do you try again in 2026 if he wins enough to keep you from drafting high enough to get a young QB to replace him? We can play all the "what ifs" but at some point we have to face the reality of where this team is, roster-wise, and whether it is time to make changes.

Having said that, I will pull for this being the right answer and my opinion being wrong. If they suddenly turn it around and Moore turns Carr into a clutch QB, leading to playoff wins, as a Saints fan, I will be ecstatic. Hope the gamble pays off.

Getting into the playoffs is success. It means you've got a chance of getting to the Superb Owl, which is the whole point of the season. The question that teams have to ask every year is this: Who gives us the best chance to win this year? Because that's all you really have, this season.

 

[sfidc3]

The cap isn’t our problem. Terrible drafting is.

We could rip the band aid off our cap tomorrow and it wouldn’t matter unless we start hitting on more picks. Similarly, we could easily dig ourselves out of this perceived cap crater if we had more players on rookie deals.

The formula isn’t complicated. We’ve just failed to execute.

Don't know if I'd say terrible, it's kind of a mix of bad and unlucky (injuries).....but the point above is well taken, we need to draft players who can be impactful.....and stay healthy!!!!!

 

[kcirdor]

We did this so we can be agressive... B E agressive

NFL Free-Agency Forecast: ‘It’s a Really Bad Group Overall’

A few AFC execs weigh in on the talent of this year’s group. Plus, Albert Breer forecasts this week’s frenzy, including who lands with which teams.

www.si.com

Thanks, Loomis!

 

[MikeyF]

At this point if I’m Cam, Demario, Tyrann and Taysom I’m telling Loomis to kick rocks on any pay cut after they just restructures $40m of Carr’s money. Make Loomis cut fan favorites and team captains while keeping the most disliked player on the team at full pay.

It doesn't matter if they are team captions & fan favorites if they aren't producing...
This is one of the reasons we only had 5 wins last year.

 

[Elvis]

It doesn't matter if they are team captions & fan favorites if they aren't producing...
This is one of the reasons we only had 5 wins last year.

They are under contract for those amounts and they should "honor" them. If the front office can just kick it forward like they've just done with Carr, why would any of those players accept a pay cut? To give Loomis a partial escape from bad cap management? Carr didn't do that and after his restructure he'll be 12th all time in earnings.

 

[Merl]

I love Taysom, but 18MM for a 30 something year old coming off of an obliterated knee? That's a lot of cheddar.

$8M of that is sunk money from proration. OTC show a cap savings of $277K if cut however it doesn’t show that you have to account for someone to replace his roster spot. Right now the next player on the roster that is outside the top 51 has a salary of $960K. That means a net loss of $683K.

 

[MikeyF]

We did this so we can be agressive... B E agressive

NFL Free-Agency Forecast: ‘It’s a Really Bad Group Overall’

A few AFC execs weigh in on the talent of this year’s group. Plus, Albert Breer forecasts this week’s frenzy, including who lands with which teams.

www.si.com

Thanks, Loomis!

My hope is that we work on our UFAs, ( Young, Adebo, Johnson) & we sign G Mekhi Becton, Philadelphia Eagles.

 

[MikeyF]

They are under contract for those amounts and they should "honor" them. If the front office can just kick it forward like they've just done with Carr, why would any of those players accept a pay cut? To give Loomis a partial escape from bad cap management? Carr didn't do that and after his restructure he'll be 12th all time in earnings.

You are probably correct...
That is why Cam should give him a Post June 1st Cut.

 

[Elvis]

You are probably correct...
That is why Cam should give him a Post June 1st Cut.

No, Loomis should just restructure that $12.5m. It's part of his 5 year plan I've been told. If not, I want to see how cutting our all time best DE that has given everything for this team goes over after kicking Carr's can without a fight.

 

[Hedon James]

I think Moore decided that Rattler is not ready for prime time and Carr buys him time to find his guy..... likely next year.....

I have no problem with this, yes the financial implications are not ideal, but Moore can start building a winning culture with Carr if they can hit on some draft picks and bring in a few quality FA's.....

Hopefully this is the last year of the bridge QB and we can get a young promising one in the near future....

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!