Derek Carr's Uncertain Future in New Orleans: A Franchise at a Crossroads

Let’s not sugarcoat it: the New Orleans Saints are in quarterback limbo. And at the heart of it all is Derek Carr — a veteran QB with Pro Bowl credentials, a banged-up shoulder, and a decision that could define both his career and the Saints’ 2025 season.

If you're a Saints fan, you've probably heard whispers, then silence, then more cryptic updates. That silence has now broken — slightly — and while we still don’t have definitive answers, there’s finally some clarity emerging around Carr’s injury saga. But it’s complicated, and honestly, it’s a bit strange.

Here's what we know: Carr believes he injured his throwing shoulder — the same arm that’s already been operated on once — during Week 14 of the 2024 season in a gritty 14-11 win over the Giants. That game also saw him bang up his wrist and sustain a concussion. It was, effectively, the last we saw of him. From that point forward, the Saints faded out of playoff contention, and Carr never returned to the field.

Fast forward to now: it's May, and only in recent weeks has Carr begun throwing with real intensity again. That’s when the pain in his shoulder flared up, and that’s when everyone — the Saints included — finally realized something was wrong. Why the delay? Because, up until this spring, Carr hadn’t been throwing with full velocity.

He was reportedly just tossing soft lobs during walkthroughs with other injured players — including with a fake football at one point. Yes, a fake football.

Now, here’s where things get dicey.

Carr, understandably, doesn’t want surgery. He’s already had one procedure on that same arm, and like any quarterback with a long career, he’s protective of it. But the reality is, this shoulder issue could very well keep him out for part — or all — of the 2025 season. As of now, there’s no decision. But one is supposedly coming “sooner rather than later,” according to NFL Network’s Jane Slater.

Meanwhile, Saints GM Mickey Loomis and rookie head coach Kellen Moore are left in quarterback purgatory. The team’s options? A trio of young, unproven signal-callers: Jake Haener, Spencer Rattler, and Tyler Shough. Combined, they have zero NFL wins and a mountain of question marks.

Let’s take a moment to unpack that QB room.

Jake Haener was a 2023 fourth-round pick who started in one last season but failed to even finish the entire game due to poor play. Spencer Rattler, a 2024 fifth-rounder, was once a Heisman hopeful in college but struggled with consistency. And then there’s Tyler Shough, the 6-foot-5, cannon-armed rookie who some NFL scouts reportedly liked more than No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward. That’s no small praise. But Shough, like Carr, has a troubling injury history — including a broken collarbone and a broken leg.

So here we are. The Saints are either going to roll the dice on an aging quarterback who’s battling his body and trying to avoid surgery — or toss the keys to a bunch of kids with upside but no NFL pedigree.

It’s not a great place to be.

If you ask me, this isn’t just about Carr’s shoulder. It’s about a franchise caught between two timelines. On one hand, you’ve got Carr, the veteran leader who went 5-5 in his starts last year and accounted for every win the team had. On the other, you’ve got Moore — a first-year head coach — who might be forced to build an offense around rookies whether he likes it or not.

And the Saints can’t wait forever. The longer this drags on, the less time Moore has to prep whichever QB ends up starting Week 1. Every rep matters in camp, and if Carr’s availability is still up in the air by then, that uncertainty could derail the entire season before it even begins.

Now, Carr has insisted publicly that everything’s fine between him and the team. During a church appearance in Las Vegas, he said, “There’s nothing wrong” in terms of his relationship with the Saints. That’s good to hear, but this situation doesn’t exactly scream stability either.

What’s clear is that both sides want to do what’s best — for Carr’s health and for the team’s future. But if Carr can’t play, or if he does and isn’t the same, then we could be looking at a full-on quarterback battle in August between Rattler, Haener, and Shough.

And if that happens, the Saints’ season might ride on which one of them can grow up fastest.

In the NFL, nothing matters more than quarterback stability. Right now, the Saints have none. And that uncertainty — no matter how "soon" a decision comes — could shape the direction of this franchise for years to come.