Saints Restructure Derek Carr’s Contract to Free Up Cap Space and Ensure Future Flexibility

Saints Restructure Derek Carr’s Contract to Free Up Cap Space

Hey there, football fans! If you’re a New Orleans Saints supporter, you might want to sit down for this one. The Saints are making some big moves to manage their salary cap, and it involves none other than their quarterback, Derek Carr. According to a source, the Saints are restructuring Carr’s contract to open up a whopping $30.9 million in 2025 cap space. This news broke on Saturday, and it’s got everyone talking.

So, what’s the game plan here? The Saints are converting Carr’s $30 million base salary and $10 million guaranteed roster bonus into a signing bonus. This clever financial maneuver pushes money to future years and lowers his 2025 cap figure to $20.4 million. It’s a strategic move, especially since Carr’s base salary was set to become fully guaranteed on Friday.

Now, let’s break this down a bit. Restructuring Carr’s contract ties him to the Saints for at least the 2025 season. However, it also increases Carr’s 2026 cap figure to a staggering $69.2 million in the final season of his contract. This means the Saints will likely be facing questions about his contract again next year. It’s a bit of a double-edged sword, isn’t it?

This move aligns with what Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and Saints coach Kellen Moore said at the NFL scouting combine in February. Loomis was pretty candid about the situation, stating, “Yeah, it’s tight. There’s no secret to that, and his is a big number, so we’re going to hopefully be able to maneuver.” It seems like the Saints are sticking to their word and making the necessary adjustments.

Initially, sticking with Carr didn’t seem like a sure thing when the Saints hired Moore. In his opening news conference, Moore sounded noncommittal about Carr’s future. However, he later affirmed his commitment to Carr at the NFL combine. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster ride, but it looks like the Saints are all in with Carr for now.

Heading into March, the Saints had a significant amount of work to do on the cap, needing to free up at least $40 million in space. They made another strategic move by restructuring the contract of center Erik McCoy last Wednesday, freeing up $7.1 million in 2025 cap space. These two moves almost make the Saints cap compliant, but there’s still more work to be done.

• The Saints need to free up additional space to account for the contracts of Juwan Johnson, Tanoh Kpassagnon, and Chase Young potentially voiding when the new league year begins on Wednesday.
• Carr has two seasons remaining on the four-year deal he signed in 2023 and is set to void on the last day of the 2026 league year.

It’s clear that the Saints are playing a high-stakes game of financial chess, and they’re not done yet. With the new league year just around the corner, they’ll need to make some more moves to ensure they’re in a good position. It’s a fascinating time to be a Saints fan, and we’ll be keeping a close eye on how this all unfolds.

So, what do you think about the Saints’ decision to restructure Carr’s contract? Is it a smart move, or are they just kicking the can down the road? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!