Derek Carr DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (shoulder) is now dealing with a shoulder injury that threatens his availability for the start of the 2025 season, sources tell NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Carr is currently weighing his options, which includes possible surgery. This is big news, especially with the 2025 NFL draft right around the corner. However, even if Carr was completely healthy, it wouldn't have been much of a surprise if the Saints were considering using a draft pick on a young signal-caller this year with Carr's future with the team beyond this year uncertain. Now that he could miss the start of the 2025 campaign this fall, though, QB should be a bigger priority. Carr, 34, missed seven games with hand and oblique injuries last year and was underwhelming as a QB2 in fantasy before the injuries. If Carr is forced to miss the early portion of 2025, a rookie QB could compete with Spencer Rattler for starts under center.UPDATE: The Saints have been preparing for the upcoming draft knowing about Carr's recent shoulder issue, according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini.

Per Kevin Patra of NFL.com, New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore is excited to team up with quarterback Derek Carr for the 2025 season. "I think we've been consistent through this whole process," Moore said. "We feel really good about Derek, and we're excited to team up with him...We want him here, and it'll be a good situation." The Saints' new head coach also noted he believes that the veteran can improve from last year's injury-plagued season. Carr and New Orleans started 2024 on fire, scoring 44+ points in each of their first two contests. However, it was all downhill from there, as the team imploded and the 33-year-old dealt with abdomen and hand injuries that forced him to miss seven games. If the Fresno State alum can stay healthy, he'll undoubtedly be more productive this upcoming season. The vote of confidence from his head coach is nice, but he projects as nothing more than a middling QB2 and potential streaming option regarding fantasy.

Per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the New Orleans Saints are expected to convert most of quarterback Derek Carr's 2025 compensation into a signing bonus for salary cap purposes. According to Garafolo, Carr is lined up to receive all $40 million owed to him. It's a sure sign that New Orleans intends to keep the veteran on as their full-time QB this coming season. The 33-year-old appeared in just ten contests in 2024 while dealing with abdomen and hand injuries and failed to toss more than 20 passing touchdowns for the first time since 2018. However, he'll return as the Saints' signal-caller for the third straight season. He's proven to be a viable QB2/streaming option in the right matchup. Still, the team will need to surround the Fresno State product with a more feasible arsenal of weapons for fantasy managers to comfortably slot him into their lineups every week.