The New Orleans Saints entered the 2024 season with Dennis Allen as their head coach and Derek Carr as their quarterback.
They opened the year with two-straight blowout wins, putting up more than 40 points on their opponents in back to back weeks and many people in NFL circles wondered if they may be one of the biggest sleepers of the year.
But then came a nine-game losing streak which resulted in Allen getting fired and Special Teams coach Darren Rizzi taking over. Carr played well at times throughout the year and struggled mightily at others, which has been the narrative surrounding his career since he was drafted by the Raiders.
Rizzi revitalized the culture instantly and the Saints picked up wins over the Falcons and Browns in his first two games leading the team. Carr threw for more than 200 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in both outings, so discussions began about the quarterback’s future in New Orleans.
Carr is under contract through 2026 and has a no-trade clause, so there’s a more than reasonable chance he’s on the Saints roster next season.
And if the Saints choose to move on and release Carr, he’s protected based on the details of his contract.
Here’s what NFL Insider Dan Graziano said about Carr’s contract with the Saints earlier this year”
“Carr and his agent, Tim Younger, built some solid protections into his contract, including a fully guaranteed $10 million roster bonus next year and a clause that fully guarantees his $30 million 2025 salary if he's still on the Saints' roster on the third day of the league year. So if the Saints are moving on, Carr knows he'll for sure get the $10 million and will know early enough that he can find work elsewhere before the free agent money dries up.”
The Saints’ QB’s season has ended as he deals with a fractured hand and head injury. He will finish his season playing in 10 games, a career-low. He holds a 5-5 record and threw for 2,145 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions.
On Sunday the New Orleans Saints will start Spencer Rattler who came in during the second half against Washington and helped lead a comeback. Rattler looked far more poised and prepared than Jake Haener, who started the game. The former South Carolina QB had a lot of praise coming out of college and has impressed people behind-the-scenes, but now it’s time to see if he can make the most of this opportunity.
If Rattler somehow leads the Saints to three wins to close out the year, there’s a chance the new coaching staff could look to him as the future franchise QB, and decide to move on from Carr.
Or Rattler could struggle like many rookies do — and the Saints could keep Carr for another year — and hope for the best.
Either way Rattler taking over as the starter for the final weeks will impact Carr’s future in some way. We will see how it plays out.
