We’ve learned some more details on Derek Carr’s new injury. The New Orleans Saints starting quarterback fractured a bone in his non-throwing hand leaping for a first down late in Sunday’s win against the New York Giants, and while it won’t land him on injured reserve, he’s going to be a week-to-week decision, according to interim head coach Darren Rizzi.
But there are longer concerns at play here. If Carr can’t pass a physical by March 17, an additional $30 million becomes guaranteed on his contract.
That’s already the case anyway, as far as Carr’s performance and the salary cap are concerned. The difference is, if he suffers a serious injury and won’t be able to pass that physical upon reporting for the offseason program, the Saints would be on the hook for the $30 million in 2025. If he’s healthy, they have an off-ramp, should they choose to use it. They could say he wasn’t meeting expectations or salary cap constraints forced their hand. Carr’s 2025 salary cap hit is set at $51.4 million, but they could designate him as a post-June 1 cut, let him go by March 17, and get that $30 million back in savings on June 2 — after free agency and the draft have passed them by.
So right now, that isn’t a real factor in their decision. If the Saints choose to ask Carr to play through injury, they could risk another more-significant injury that would impact him in the longer view. That would jeopardize the $30 million tied up as injury guarantees. If they choose to shut him down instead and not risk it, they’d be following a pattern established by other teams. That’s why the Las Vegas Raiders made Carr a healthy scratch to close out his career, and why the New York Giants benched Daniel Jones before cutting him at his request.
However, this all hinges on the idea that the Saints don’t plan on paying that $30 million anyway. Their next head coach should ultimately decide whether or not to keep Carr. It’s also possible that decision has already been made and working with Carr could be a mandate from ownership or management. Restructuring his contract again would fold the $30 million into another signing bonus that’s paid out over future years, which would be the easiest path forward if they’re determined to keep building around him.
But at that point we’re speculating too much. For now the Saints don’t appear to be concerned about Carr’s long-term projection, and the injury he’s currently dealing with should be well behind him come March. It’s just something to keep an eye on if they do choose to put him into another game or four this year.
