Last season with the Saints, which was his second, Carr played in 10 games where he missed some time due to a hand injury as he threw for 2,145 yards to go along with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. New Orleans finished with a 5-12 record, which put them at the bottom of the NFC South standings.

However, with no guaranteed money beyond 2025, the Saints could be best off releasing Carr following the upcoming season. At that point, they'll only owe the veteran quarterback whatever is left of his signing bonus, which would be less than his 2026 cap number.

Starting quarterbacks rarely take pay cuts in the NFL. Pardon stating the obvious, but doing so feels necessary after the New Orleans Saints opted to simply restructure Derek Carr’s contract rather than the two sides agreeing to reduce the quarterback’s salary.