By Ross Jackson
Now that the topsy-turvy saga between the New Orleans Saints and quarterback Derek Carr has ended, the Saints can focus on their future. Carr’s retirement being officially posted on Tuesday brings a definitive end to that era of Saints football.
While much of the focus will be on the young quarterbacks battling it out for the right to be the club’s starter, the Saints are going to see a set of important ripple effects from Carr’s departure.
Among them, the ability to build for their future, salary cap relief and some freedom on the roster.
An Eye The Future At Quarterback
The Saints are now free, under new head coach Kellen Moore, to invest their time and energy into developing their young quarterback room in order to try to pick out a passer of the future from the bunch.
The two passers most central to the conversation are second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler and rookie Tyler Shough.
Many expect that Shough will be the one awarded the job in the long-term because he was hand-picked by Moore in the NFL Draft this year, selected higher than any Saints quarterback draft pick since 1971, supplemental draft excluded. However, many are high on Rattler’s ceiling and what he could become when put in better situations than he was throughout his six starts last year.
Without Carr, the Saints have the ability now to focus on the quarterback room, which also features third-year passer Jake Haener and undrafted rookie Hunter Dekkers, to find their best option. No Carr, no veteran to distract. All of the snaps in practices are going to the young guys. This is a great opportunity for the Saints to get their evaluations before selecting a starter.
Salary Cap Relief Is On The Way
Whether the Saints recoup $1.25 million this year or a slightly larger amount will be up to how the NFL views Carr’s forfeiture of his $30 million base salary, which was already restructured. But the bottom line is that the Saints are going to get that money back over the next two seasons.
Carr’s dead 2026 cap hit was initially on the books for north of $59 million. Now, that number will drop significantly into the mid-$30 million area while the Saints get additional funds back this year that can be rolled over or awarded to them in 2026 as “money not earned” by Carr.
In any case this, along with any money the team can roll over from this season, will have significant impacts on the Saints’ future outlook and spending capabilities.
Roster Flexibility
Carr’s retirement, along with another expected to process soon for offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk, will open up two more roster spots on the Saints’ 90-man roster. In doing so, the team will be able to bring in a pair of new players to get a look at potentially during the final week of OTAs and for the following week’s mandatory minicamp.
The Saints have been holding on to those spots until both moves are official. Soon, they will be able to add some new talent without having to terminate a deal with another player as a corresponding move.
New Orleans hosted veteran defensive tackle Jonathan Bullard this week. With a roster spot now open, if he impressed in his workout, there would be a spot to add him to the roster.
