Saints Not Expected To Have Clarity About Derek Carr’s Status Before Draft

According to Ian Rapoport, the Saints are not expected to have clarity about QB Derek Carr and his status for 2025 before the draft tonight. 

Rapoport said the parties involved had hoped to have that. Carr is facing potentially season-ending shoulder surgery for an old injury that his camp has told people didn’t heal properly. 

Rapoport adds GM Mickey Loomis has said the uncertainty about Carr won’t affect their draft plans. The Saints have already done extensive research on this quarterback class and seemed likely to pick a quarterback regardless of the news. 

Loomis said yesterday Carr indeed has a shoulder injury and the team was hoping to get more clarification on the situation soon, per Nick Underhill.

“I’m not going to answer any more questions about Derek,” he said via Underhill. “If you have questions about the draft I’m happy to answer those.”

Carr has not been in attendance at voluntary OTAs or in the team building rehabbing his shoulder injury. It’s the latest sign that all is not well between the Saints and their supposed starting quarterback. 

Carr, 34, is a former second-round pick of the Raiders back in 2014. He was in the final year of his contract when the Raiders signed him to a five-year, $125 million extension that included $70 million guaranteed in 2017.

Carr stood to make a base salary of $19.77 million in the final year of his contract and was set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2023 when he signed a three-year, $121.5 million extension. 

However, the Raiders released Carr the following season and he signed a four-year, $150 million deal with the Saints. 

He’s due a base salary of $40 million and $50 million in total in the final year of his contract in 2026. 

In 2024, Carr appeared in ten games for the Saints and completed 68.1 percent of his passes for 1,926 yards, 14 touchdowns, and four interceptions.

We’ll have more on Carr and the Saints as the news becomes available.