By Ross Jackson
The New Orleans Saints and quarterback Derek Carr situation just keeps getting more and more peculiar. What was presumed to be a season-threatening shoulder injury for the quarterback is now being talked about as a potential play to force his way out of New Orleans.
Considering Carr’s noticeable absence from the city and even team facility when new head coach Kellen Moore arrived following his Super Bowl win with the Philadelphia Eagles, it’s becoming harder by the minute to not suspect something is awry when it comes to the quarterback and his club.
The current working theory among the league, per reports from The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, is that Carr could be trying to force a trade out of New Orleans. We highlighted the Cleveland Browns as a potential landing spot earlier this week. Today, we’re looking at another potential suitor, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This only works if the Steelers don’t get their expected deal with free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers done. However, Rodgers could be a late candidate to head south to New Orleans instead, in which case, a post-June 1 trade for Carr could make sense for Pittsburgh.
Even if the Steelers were to invest in a rookie quarterback at No. 21 overall or later in the draft, the likelihood of them landing a day-one starter is slim. The most plausible scenario instead leads them to take a passer that could use half a season to a full season behind a veteran to develop.
One might assume that this would be a situation that Carr wouldn’t want to walk into. But based on the timeline of his abrupt disappearance from the team, it looks like his issues had more to do with the relationship between himself and the Saints than it had to do with the team’s interest in this year’s quarterback class.
Carr hasn’t been spotted at any of the major events across the city nor was he present to welcome his new head coach to the building. Those instances predate the team’s heavily visible work on quarterbacks pre-draft. While they did begin scouting passers during the college football season, that isn’t particularly out of the ordinary.
From Path to the Draft: Taking a look at the #Saints situation surrounding Derek Carr and how likely it is that they draft a QB. pic.twitter.com/qh4G5zjOS1
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 15, 2025
The Steelers could get to a point in which they are desperate enough for a veteran passer that their options come down to a trade with the Saints for Carr or a trade with the Atlanta Falcons for Kirk Cousins.
While Cousins could cost the team up to $27.5 million to acquire him via a trade, Carr would travel for just $1.255 million for the club that makes a move for him. The deal could likely get done after June 1 for a day three draft selection in 2026. The Saints wouldn’t have much leverage to ask for a big return.
The Falcons could, of course, agree to take on a portion of Cousins’ deal to make him easier to move. However, per SI’s Albert Breer, they may not be willing to go very far in order to facilitate a trade.
“That the Browns would be willing to pay Flacco $13 million if he starts and performs for them could be a clue that they weren’t willing to go much beyond that to get Cousins. The Falcons, I’ve heard, have been tough on the idea that they should take on much of Cousins’s salary to facilitate a trade, not wanting to pay down too much of it to “buy” a draft pick.”
