The Derek Carr era has not necessarily gone particularly well for the New Orleans Saints as the team is currently 7-8 with their playoff hopes swiftly fading. And the bad news is, the team seems pretty locked into keeping Carr next season – or at least paying him a huge chunk of cash.
As league insider Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk points out, Derek Carr is already guaranteed $30 million from the team, and that number could quickly climb to $10 million.
“They’re already on the hook for $40 million, as a practical matter. Carr’s contract pays out a $30 million salary in 2024, all of which is fully guaranteed. Another $10 million due in 2025 becomes fully guaranteed in March 2024. The Saints can avoid the extra $10 million only by cutting Carr before the payment vests,” Florio wrote for Pro Football Talk on Friday.
“Would they pay him $30 million to go away, in order to avoid owing another $10 million? Probably not. But if a coaching change is coming (Saints fans periodically clamor for one), a new coach might be willing to take the hit — especially since an offset obligation would apply to the 2024 salary.”
Obviously, this is pretty horrible news for the Saints as it seemingly locks them into a quarterback who hasn’t necessarily performed all that well this season, and the NFL world had a lot to say about it on social media.
It’s clearly not a great situation for the team.