Derek Carr DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

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.

New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said on Wednesday at the NFL Combine that the team feels like they can win with quarterback Derek Carr, and new head coach Kellen Moore also said the team feels fortunate to have Carr on the roster. The Saints still have contract stuff to figure out with Carr, but as things currently stand, it sounds like the team plans on bringing the 33-year-old veteran back in 2025. Carr has a $51.4 million cap hit in 2025, and the Saints currently have the worst cap situation in the NFL, so something has to give. Restructuring his contract could free up $31 million this year, although it would push his cap hit to around $69 million in 2026. Carr played in a career-low 10 games in 2024 due to a broken hand and a concussion. Even with Moore in town, fantasy managers in 12-team, one-QB leagues are going to be avoiding him in drafts this fall.