The cat is out of the bag and has been out of the bag for a while. Derek Carr does not want to be in New Orleans any longer. The latest word from the 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov is Carr wished the New Orleans Saints didn’t restructure his contract.
While this report shouldn’t come as a surprise, based on what has transpired this offseason. It is a direct contradiction of what he said at the beginning of the offseason. Back in January, Carr notably told ESPN’s Katherine Terrell he wouldn’t take a pay cut and afterwards left the door open to a restructure. One could even say he welcomed it.
“Would I restructure?” Carr replied. “Absolutely. I’ll always help the team that way.” He even described talks around his future as “super positive.”
Fast forward to April and there’s a different tune being sung behind closed doors. Meirov said, “people around the NFL believe Derek Carr has been trying to get out of New Orleans, and the Saints restructuring his contract was something he wished they did not do. But they did it.”
Carr’s contract was restructured in March. Either things drastically changed over the course of two months or he flat out lied in January. Were those talks actually positive or did you tell Terrell and the Saints ownership what they wanted to hear? Was Carr ever actually open to a restructure?
Maybe he thought Darren Rizzi was going to remain the head coach and he knew the writing was on the wall once Kellen Moore was hired. An established relationship with Rizzi could have resulted in Carr having more confidence in his starting position. Carr’s behavior hasn’t earned him the benefit of the doubt, and this Meirov’s report casts the quarterback, once again, in an unfavorable light.
At some point, you have to turn attention to the Saints. They share part of the blame in this outcome by keeping Carr if he made it clear he didn’t want the restructure. The Saints could have gotten under the salary cap without restructuring contract, and they should have. If Carr kept his desires to himself, then they were deceived by Carr’s hidden wishes.
The situation is only getting uglier with every new angle being reported. The marriage appears to be done between Carr and the Saints, even if he doesn’t get season-ending surgery.
