All 32 teams are hard at work, preparing for the 2025 NFL Draft. That includes the New Orleans Saints, who are working to overcome a Derek Carr shoulder injury that could leave his playing status for 2025 in doubt.
While they’ve known about Carr’s injury much longer than the public has, now the Saints may be scrambling to find another capable starting quarterback before the 2025 season kicks off.
Related: NFL teams believed New Orleans Saints would trade this 4x Pro Bowler this offseason
Is Derek Carr trying to force his way off New Orleans Saints?
The Derek Carr news did come with some unique timing, with less than one month to go before the first round of the NFL Draft kicks off.
One has to wonder if Carr’s camp was the one who leaked the news, helping other teams realize that the Saints are trying to find a new quarterback. If other teams know which needs the Saints have, it could make it harder for New Orleans to secure their top QB target as teams work to trade ahead of them.
So it’s at least reasonable when New Orleans Football’s Mike Triplett’s “best guess” is that Carr is “trying to force a divorce” from the Saints.
“Either a) he legitimately is like my shoulder has reached a point where I think I’d rather take care of it than play this season or … b) it’s some sort of threat, like we asked for you guys to release us, you didn’t, we were upset when you just restructured the contract instead of trying to work out a release, so now here’s another path for us not showing us, and maybe now we’ll force a release. I don’t know how there’s any resolution from this.”
Mike Triplett on Derek Carr
Carr’s injury certainly throws a wrench not only in the Saints’ plans, but also in his. Look at Kirk Cousins for example, he spent the very end of the season on the bench and now it’s hard for him to find a starting role.
What if Carr spends a good portion of the 2025 season on the bench? Would teams still see him as a top starting-caliber solution or just another short-term bridge QB who could get replaced by a rookie by mid-season?
Related: 2025 NFL mock draft: Who should the Saints draft in the first round?
