Carr lands with Saints

QB Derek Carr and the Saints are working out a contract that could be done as soon as Monday afternoon, according to multiple reports. It's not a surprising turn for Carr, who had "lengthy" visit to New Orleans a month ago. His arrival will be good news for Saints second-year WR Chris Olave, who finished his rookie season 10th in yards per route run among all WRs with 30+ targets. WR Rashid Shaheed was among the nine players ahead of him (on far fewer targets), so that pair presents some big-play upside for Carr's stat line. That said, we can't upgrade the QB for leaving Davante Adams and Darren Waller. So the best hopes for Carr's ADP and fantasy football outlook are: 1) The Saints add more talent on offense; and 2) fantasy drafters don't boost him much from his current QB20 position. We'll see what else a cap-strapped New Orleans roster can add. And we'll see who teams such as the Jets and Panthers turn to at QB (after also courting Carr). WR Michael Thomas remains under contract with New Orleans as well. But he looks like a cut candidate that could help with the cap issues. Don't assume too strongly for now that he opens the year with the Saints.

Update: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Carr agreed to a four-year, $150 million deal, with $100 million in "total guarantees."

Klint Kubiak is expected to be named the Saints' new OC, according to multiple reports. Kubiak is currently the 49ers' passing-game coordinator, so the move can't become official until after the Super Bowl. The 36-year-old son of Gary Kubiak has 10 seasons of NFL coaching experience. That includes serving as Vikings OC back in 2021. That team ranked 12th in total yards and 14th in points, ranking near the middle of the pack in run/pass split.

The Saints fired OC Pete Carmichael, as well as senior offensive assistant Bob Bicknell and WRs coach Kodi Burns. New Orleans finished a solid 14th in total yards and ninth in points scored this past year, but the organization is evidently looking for some fresh blood after employing Carmichael since 2009. We'll see who the Saints tab as their new OC.

Saints QB Derek Carr finished a strong close to the season with 4 TDs on 22-of-28 passing in Sunday's 48-17 win over the Falcons. It was Carr's fifth straight game with 2+ TDs. He completed 74% of his passes over that span while throwing just 2 INTs. That season-ending stretch can only help Carr's job status, but his contract likely wouldn't allow New Orleans to move on anyway. According to Spotrac, Carr carries a $35.7 million cap hit for 2024, but cutting him would mean $52.8 million in dead money. That would be especially tough on a franchise projected to be nearly $76 million over the 2024 salary cap. Expect Carr to remain the starting QB for the 2024 Saints. And don't expect him to continue rolling the way he finished this season. Carr has showed us across 10 seasons with two teams that he's a limited real-life player and fantasy contributor. And he might return only Chris Olave and rookie A.T. Perry from the current WR corps.

Saints QB Derek Carr played his best game of the season Week 15 vs. the Giants. Interestingly, the strong effort came with Chris Olave (ankle) sidelined. Carr hit Juwan Johnson, Jimmy Graham, and Keith Kirkwood for scores while completing 82.1% of his passes. What helped: Taysom Hill mixed in for only one pass attempt and one carry in his return from hand/foot injuries. A positive matchup helped too, but credit Carr for delivering alongside a thin supporting cast. Next week, he gets a quick turnaround with a road matchup against the Rams. We’ll see if Olave returns for that one. Even if he does, Carr will project as a clear QB2. The former Raider doesn’t need to be rostered outside of deep leagues/superflex formats.

Saints QB Derek Carr (concussion, rib, right shoulder) is active for today’s game vs. the Panthers. He’ll be playing through a non-displaced rib cartilage fracture and an AC joint sprain in his shoulder, making him a shaky fantasy start.