REPORT: Former Raiders QB Carr Facing Uncertain Future

The Las Vegas Raiders' quarterback position has been in limbo since moving on from Derek Carr. However, could the former Raiders quarterback be disposable?
Dec 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) drops back to pass against the New York Giants during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Dec 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) drops back to pass against the New York Giants during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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The Las Vegas Raiders are one of the most polarizing franchises in the National Football League. Their former quarterback and current New Orleans Saints starting quarterback, Derek Carr, left the Raiders on not-so-good terms after falling out of the good graces of former Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels.

Carr is the Raiders' all-time leading passer in Raiders' history, leading all Raiders quarterbacks with a total of over 35,000 passing yards. The next closest quarterback has about 16,000 fewer yards than Carr.

Carr finished his career with the Raiders with a losing record. However, wins are a team stat, not a quarterback stat.

Carr's 63-79 record with the Raiders does not explain how much consistency the veteran quarterback provided. While Carr has his faults and limitations, the consistency and stability he provided over his nine seasons with the Raiders have been missing from the Raiders' quarterback position since Carr's departure.

Still, many of Carr's issues in Las Vegas followed him to New Orleans. Ben Rolfe of the Pro Football Network believes Carr's contract could eventually make him a cap casualty option for the Saints.

"Despite being $50 million over the salary cap, the Saints' highest potential pre-June 1 cut is Rashid Shaheed at $3.7 million," Rolfe said. "Therefore, they will need to be cap-compliant for 2025 using restructures and extensions.

"They have some options for post-June 1 cuts that would allow them to make late summer additions and sign their 2025 NFL Draft class. The biggest of those is Derek Carr, which would save $30 million in 2025 and shift $28.7 million of dead money into 2026. It is more likely they will look to trade Carr, with potentially $11.3 million of cap savings in 2025, if they move him before June 1.

Rolfe noted that a significant obstacle the Saints would have to overcome if they decided to get rid of Carr would be the fact that he has played relatively well since arriving in New Orleans.

"The problem for the Saints is that Carr grades pretty well as a quarterback. In our QB+ ranking, he was the QB11 this season, and it is his fourth top-12 finish in the six years for which we have data," Rolfe said. "Is a quarterback of Carr's quality simply too valuable to be a cap casualty? Arguably so.

"The Saints could choose to restructure his deal and free up $31 million immediately, but they will be pushing another $6.2 million onto an already extant $61.5 million cap number for 2026 and making his cost in 2027 $36 million when the deal voids."

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Ezekiel Trezevant
EZEKIEL TREZEVANT

Ezekiel is a former Sports Editor from the Western Herald and former Atlanta Falcons beat writer.