Saints can clear $30.9M with Derek Carr restructure

By Ross Jackson

INDIANAPOLIS—Now that the New Orleans Saints have committed to their 2025 future with quarterback Derek Carr, they have an easy button toward getting under the salary cap. 

With a simple and full restructure of Carr’s contract, the Saints can save $30.9 million. That’s a huge savings, if they choose to go that route. With a $279.2 million salary cap, the Saints got some help already in seeing their cap overage reduced.

NFL teams were informed today that the 2025 salary cap will be $279.2 million per club. pic.twitter.com/1jZowiUMOC

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 27, 2025

But they are still more than $40 million over the salary cap. So a $30 million savings in one transaction is a big benefit for the team. 

New Orleans may explore other options—extensions, pay cuts, and more—but with Carr, a maximum restructure could be the most practical and effective solution.

If the Saints were to go that route, saving $30.9 million in one move is a massive help. So what’s next?

Simple restructures to center Erik McCoy ($6.7 million), right guard Cesar Ruiz ($6.4 million), and defensive end Carl Granderson ($5.25 million). 

Just those three moves, in addition to Carr, would make the Saints compliant with this year’s salary cap. With every additional move, like potential payouts for defensive tackle Cameron Jordan and tight end Taysom Hill as well as many more options, the Saints are opening up money to spend this offseason. 

This would be the simplest way for the Saints to achieve cap compliance while also creating spending flexibility. Whether the Saints explore other options remains to be seen—and they certainly should—but at the very least they have an easy path to being more active in this year’s free agency.