Report: Four-year, $150 million deal for Derek Carr

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The Saints have not officially announced a deal with quarterback Derek Carr yet, but Carr confirmed reports that he’s headed to New Orleans and some details about the deal he’ll be signing have now been reported as well.

NFL Media reports that it is a four-year deal for Carr with the NFC South club. The deal is worth up to $150 million and includes $100 million in total guarantees.

Carr has $60 million guaranteed at signing and $10 million of his third-year salary vests after his first year with the Saints.

The Saints have been restructuring contracts in order to get under the cap and will likely be making other manuevers — like cutting quarterback Jameis Winston — to continue that effort while also slotting Carr into the roster. 1

101 responses to “Report: Four-year, $150 million deal for Derek Carr

  1. This is what flushing $150 million down the toilet looks like.

  2. Absolutely ridiculous that he is getting that much money. What a joke this league has become.

  3. That’s a large chunk of guaranteed money for an average QB. DC is going to retire a very wealthy man, which might go some way to making up for an unsuccessful career on the field.
    New Orleans about to get comfortable in mediocrity for a few years….

  4. Damn… as a hawks fan I hope Geno doesn’t want that kind of money! I hope they don’t sign Geno and keep lock while drafting Richardson!

  5. People will be fired for this in New Orleans, better get their resume ready.

  6. This is definitely the stupidest move of any NFL team in 2023.

    RIP Saints.

  7. Good landing spot for Carr. No dominant QBs in that division, good defense, and warm weather.

  8. After all the years of Payton/Brees it’s really something to watch the Saints go back to being the mid franchise they were previously. I can’t understand what they’re thinking.

  9. 37.5 million per year average. That’s a little higher than the 35 a year that was reported Carr was seeking. Now the question is, where is NO getting that money?

  10. 4 year 150mil seems high but not so bad when you see only 100mil guaranteed.

  11. This is a good fit for him and would not be surprised to see him be very successful. Stable organization with a smart GM who does not get enough credit. He has worked with the HC so they are familiar with one another and the defense will be the best he has ever had around him. Playoff contender in that division for sure.

  12. I’m not 100% sure, but this could be the dumbest contract in the history of sports?

  13. I’m glad to see Winston getting cut. I’ve never liked him, ever since he was pulling bad stuff back in college. Also, he’s just not that good at QB anyway. Winston is mediocre at best. Carr will be much, much better.

  14. Smart man. You don’t have to be the richest QB in the league to be filthy rich. $27 million and change a year is not what top QB’s are making, but so what. Still a LOT of money that will keep Carr and his family set for life. Congratulations to him.

  15. If accurate, that actually sounds about right for him. Looks good on paper, has high numbers potentially, but gives the out if he flops after 2 years.

  16. Wow the Saints are going to have about 10-12 players making big money and everyone else is going to be on minimum contracts, nothing in between.

  17. The Saints should have started the total rebuild when Brees and Payton left.

    All they did was push the bills down the road and will be in a mess soon once they come due.

    And Carr is average at best.

  18. Good move for Carr….great money, winnable division and a far more amicable press than he would’ve found in New York. Here’s hoping he succeeds…

  19. That works out to about 37 million a year. Roughly what he was making before, average starting salary. If he milked it longer, he might have chiseled out more, but there must be something he liked about New Orleans to get him to settle for that. Still, people have killed for far less.

  20. What’s the year 1 cap number? Because the Saints are currently way over the cap.

  21. Now we know why he chose the Saints over the Jets. Money in the bank and the easiest path to the postseason.

  22. This is the same guy who couldn’t put up mondo points with Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs, right? Just checking…

  23. Gives him #9 QB money, very much deserved. Even though theyre in cap hell i think their defense is under contract for the most part so hell have the privilege of having a defense better than 25th for the first time in his career. Now they just need to go get a TE and RB for him and theres an argument that division is theres to win.

  24. They should profit of this year’s strong TE class to give Carr one more weapon.

  25. So…$37.5M a year. Daniel Jones is younger and has a higher ceiling still (we all know what Carr is at this point). $45M for Jones doesn’t sound that terribly far off the mark.

  26. Lmao I mean look I hate New Orleans, but at this point I respect that they’re hellbent on doing what they can to remain, at minimum, RELEVANT. I can hate all I want but hat tip to them for doing right by their fans too. I’m proud of our 2 superbowls but consistency, stability, and being relevant year over yr is how you REALLY gain respectability and build a brand as opposed to catching lightning in a bottle every 15-20 years

  27. Wow, I would hate to be a Saints fan now, there’s an APB out on Derek Carr, he just robbed the Saints

  28. Queue the “how can they do this when they are over the cap?”

    Said it before, will say it again. The Saint’s cap woes are often overblown. Do they use the money on the right people? Mostly no – but it’s rarely because they can’t find the money.

  29. His brother David is now free to resume his childish behavior.
    SMH at that family.

  30. Carr has never won a playoffs game but gets a massive contract. These owners must be printing money in their office.

  31. Only 60% guaranteed and south of $40M per year? This should put a crimp in Lamar Jackson’s demands.

  32. I don’t care who you are or what you do, $60 million guaranteed at signing is grossly overpaid.
    I wouldn’t turn it down if it was offered to me, but as a cautionary example I give the story of Gabe Rivera of the Steelers.
    A promising defensive lineman who got in a one car accident during his rookie year. Paralyzed and unable to play again the Steelers gave him a job as a scout.
    But think how many teams would be crippled for a few years if something similar were to happen to a player with these mega-guarantees.

  33. fuzall says:
    March 6, 2023 at 1:56 pm
    SO, mediocrity is about $40 million a year. Russ and Carr prove it.

    00Rate This
    ————

    Dak Prescott as well.

  34. logicalone says:
    March 6, 2023 at 1:53 pm
    Carr has never won a playoffs game but gets a massive contract. These owners must be printing money in their office.

    ——————————————————————————————–

    I agree but Lamar has won ONE playoff game more than Carr and he wants what again?

  35. All the folks saying nobody will trade for Rodgers because of his massive contract may need to take a step back and think about it. If Carr is worth this much, Rodgers is a bargain at his salary.

  36. I’m bullish on Derek Carr, and I think $100m guaranteed is a steep price.

    I hope he bounces back, tho.

  37. A 7-10 team signs Carr and may become 9-8 team, but they have to let some talent walk and just revert back to the 7-10 team.

  38. I dont get all the hate for Carr. He’s not great, but he’s a good qb. He’ll go to a team with a good D, and front office, unlike the Raidaaa’s.

  39. I wish Carr well. He’s always been a class act. And now that he’s on a team that has an actual defense, I expect him to do well.

  40. When the Jets fail to get Rodgers they would probably send the Saints a couple of first rounders for Winston.

  41. “I’m not 100% sure, but this could be the dumbest contract in the history of sports?”

    Nope. That would be the DeShaun Watson contract….5 years, $230 Million FULLY GUARANTEED.

  42. Wow, that was a surprise. The Saints blew up their financials to try and win the division. Yes, the NFC is weak, but this doesn’t propel the Saints into being contenders.

    The Jets options are vaporizing because they refuse to give up on Wilson.

  43. The cap limit gets raised every year. Remember when Cousins caught so much flak for his “huge” contract? He no longer gets any attention (due to his compensation.) If Carr is worth this much, Rodgers’ contract can be handled by any number of teams as well. Cap Hell is a myth.

  44. Carr isn’t taking a bad Saints team anywhere, he went to the worst situation possible where he needs the most help. Saints are the epitome of average and they just pushed their problems down the road another year instead of taking their medicine n rebuilding, ensuring they’ll be stuck in perpetual mediocrity. Don’t see how that’s a win.

  45. dadindebt6 says:
    March 6, 2023 at 1:58 pm
    I don’t care who you are or what you do, $60 million guaranteed at signing is grossly overpaid.
    I wouldn’t turn it down if it was offered to me, but as a cautionary example I give the story of Gabe Rivera of the Steelers.
    A promising defensive lineman who got in a one car accident during his rookie year. Paralyzed and unable to play again the Steelers gave him a job as a scout.
    But think how many teams would be crippled for a few years if something similar were to happen to a player with these mega-guarantees
    ————————————————————————

    Wow 🤩!!!! You really have no idea how NFL contracts work, do you?? You don’t think teams protect themselves against off field injuries ILMAO?? $150 guaranteed doesn’t mean they have to pay him no matter what . If a player is injured on the field it’s fully guaranteed but if he’s injured in say a car or boating accident then he’s out of luck sim Le as that.

  46. Carr is a good QB. Not a great one, but I just assume that even being good will get you $35 mil in this market.

    It’s a win for Carr because it’s a large payday, he’s the best QB in the division and he escapes that goofy Raiders organization.

  47. PT Barnum would love the NFL. It’s turned into a circus, and the Saints prove that there’s a sucker born every minute.

  48. Sure, a lot of folks thinks this is a stupid deal and it may be in the end. But, the Saints do have some promising young talent. They have a good roster overall. By some metrics, stats-wise, they were a top 10 team. Does this make them a SB contender, probably not, but they can now win the division and not waste their young talent. Plus, what choice did they have? Where were they going to go for a QB? Andy Dalton is not the answer nor is Jameis Winston. Plus, there was no one in the draft they were going to get. The Saints are a quality organization who has a strong playoff history in the past 15 or so years. They’re not stupid. We’ll see if this works out, but they had to do something. There are simply few options out there.

  49. Way too much money for his level of QB play. And he will get rotated out for Taysom Hill.

  50. bugbearcaptain says:
    March 6, 2023 at 2:01 pm
    logicalone says:
    March 6, 2023 at 1:53 pm
    Carr has never won a playoffs game but gets a massive contract. These owners must be printing money in their office.

    ——————————————————————————————–

    I agree but Lamar has won ONE playoff game more than Carr and he wants what again?

    ________________________________________________

    Lamar has NEVER played with the talent on Offense that Carr has and Lamar literally is a lone wolf on the Ravens. Lamar has Divisional titles to his credit and his one win is in half the time of Carr.

    Carr couldn’t carry Lamar’s jockstsrap on his best day

  51. njeffrey says:
    March 6, 2023 at 1:32 pm

    Ridiculous contract for a player without a playoff win.
    ______________________________

    I keep telling you a playoff record has nothing to do with NFL QB contracts. You see QB after QB get paid with dismal playoff records. This is something PFT posters made up to put down Lamar. So, can you please stop thinking you’re an NFL GM? You guys are wrong every time with anything having to do with QBs. For some reason, you think good QBs grow on trees and are easily replaced. They have great value an will continue to get paid mega money. Deal with it.

  52. Only need to win 8 games to get to the playoffs in that division, barring some major FA signings on one of the other teams. Carr can get you 8-9 wins.

  53. Can’t Waite to watch Carr’s signature move.
    Run to the right and throw it out of bounce on third down!

  54. Saints will have a better record than Raiders over the life of this deal.

  55. stellarperformance says:
    March 6, 2023 at 2:21 pm
    The cap limit gets raised every year. Remember when Cousins caught so much flak for his “huge” contract? He no longer gets any attention (due to his compensation.) If Carr is worth this much, Rodgers’ contract can be handled by any number of teams as well. Cap Hell is a myth.

    72Rate This

    ——————

    Yeah and how complete a team is Minnesota? Lots of playoff wins in Minnesota, eh?

    Overpaying 1 guy isn’t a huge deal. Overpaying a handful is not good.

    Jefferson will command 25 mil per very soon.

  56. pryrates2023 says:
    March 6, 2023 at 1:21 pm
    After all the years of Payton/Brees it’s really something to watch the Saints go back to being the mid franchise they were previously.

    ———-

    Pats fans know all about it since Brady left

  57. $150 million for 2 winning seasons, 2 losing seasons, 1 playoff win. That is what they will get.

  58. It’s probably more like a 3 year deal, as he’s due 50 million in year 4 and that obviously will not happen. It can go as low as 2 years if the Saints are willing to eat a chunk of money on the cap (and we all know they could care less about that). I think it’s an ok deal; they don’t have a first this year and will miss out on all the good QB prospects. If they draft one next year, that gives them a year or two of evaluation before the young QB takes over. I don’t think this makes them contenders in any way but they can probably win the division and I suppose that’s something.

  59. It’s funny watching all the people exposing themselves as being clueless about the QB position. Great deal for the Saints, a Top 10 Franchise QB with multiple Pro Bowls at that price? Good job NOLA!

  60. These “Carr never won a playoff game” comments are a little silly. Neither did Matt Stafford, and then he won a Super Bowl as soon as he got to a well run organization. Barry Sanders only won 1 playoff game. The Raiders, like the Lions, suck, and have sucked for a long time. I’m not saying Carr is going lead the Saints to the Super Bowl, but I wouldn’t stay his time with the Raiders is indicative of much.

  61. The Jets are going to screw around waiting for Rodgers and he is going to screw them.

  62. Saints are in a crummy division. This makes them favorites to win the NFC South and they will be hoping to compete with Philly and SF. They have a very good defense so they will be close.

  63. While the Saints could win the NFC South, I’m now onboard with the idea that its time for a teardown and rebuild. Sean Payton accomplished the impossible, doing the teardown and rebuild in one year. We were happy that the Saints were highly competitive for 16 years. With he and Drew both gone last year, I was willing to suspend disbelief to see what Dennis Allen could do. He couldn’t win a winnable division, blowing games to the Cardinals, the last Panther game, and the second Tampa Bay game should have been a fireable offense. David Carr is not the answer, not with Allen as head coach (it would be different if Payton were still here – somehow he managed to turn Jameis Winston into a QB with a winning record and few INTs).

  64. You can crown the Saints NFC South champs now. All these internet GMs who say Carr never won anything are the same types who think Barry Sanders was a loser because he played for the Lions.

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