The New Orleans Saints find themselves in salary cap hell each offseason. Part of the reason is that they tend to kick so much spending down the road in future years, whether it’s by taking on dead salary, cutting players on high-dollar deals, or restructuring contracts and adding void years on the back end.
This offseason was no different. The Saints started the offseason with the fewest cap space in the NFL, and some thought that meant they’d be losing a four-time Pro Bowler in the process.
Related: 2025 NFL mock draft: Who should the Saints draft in the first round?
NFL teams thought New Orleans Saints would trade Derek Carr
The New Orleans Saints started their talent purge ahead of last season’s trade deadline, when they dealt Marshon Lattimore to the Washington Commanders. That process has continued this offseason, losing players like Paulson Adebo to the New York Giants.
However, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, some around the NFL thought players like four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Carr could be getting traded too. Some thought the ousting of Dennis Allen could even cause Carr to request a trade from New Orleans.
“While how and when and whether at all the trade request officially went in is unclear, other teams were under the impression that Carr was seeking a new home, as some quarterback-needy ones considered him a potential option for 2025.”
SI’s Albert Breer on Derek Carr’s place with the New Orleans Saints
Now, Carr’s shoulder injury has thrown a serious wrench in the Saints’ plans, not just for the offseason, but for the start of the 2025 season, with his playing status in doubt. As a result, the Saints might have to make other plans, such as adding a quarterback on the first two days of the draft, which has caused more analysts projecting Shedeur Sanders to the Saints with the ninth overall pick in the first round.
Breer suggests the Saints could still “make a late run at Aaron Rodgers” while tossing draft targets such as Sanders or Jaxson Dart out there too. He even raised the possibility of the “unlikely” event that the Saints “make a call” to their division rival Atlanta Falcons for Kirk Cousins.
Plus, the Saints still have two recent draft picks in Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener to go with former Cowboys QB Ben DiNucci. Still, depending on the severity of Carr’s injury, the Saints may feel like they have no choice but to add a new quarterback with an even higher ceiling than the existing options at their disposal.
