The new Saints head coach gave a ringing endorsement of Derek Carr as an NFL quarterback — but not explicitly his quarterback.
Kellen Moore, introduced in New Orleans on Thursday, was noncommittal regarding the quarterback who has led the Saints during the past two playoff-less seasons.
“Derek’s a tremendous quarterback in this league,” Moore, who had been the Super Bowl-winning Eagles offensive coordinator, told reporters in his first news conference with his new team. “I have had so much respect for him, the journey that he’s been on. He’s a starter in this league. He’s a premier player in this league. He’s had a great journey. Obviously going from Fresno State to the Raiders and now here.
“Really excited to team up with him and go through this process — just like any player on this roster. I just got here a few days ago, and I’m excited to go through this journey with all of them.”
Carr, of course, is not like every other player on the roster. He has two years left on a four-year, $150 million contract and carries a cap hit of $51 million and $61 million, respectively, the next two seasons. The Saints are in salary cap hell, with more than $48 million in ᴅᴇᴀᴅ-cap money and projected to have the least cap space in all of football, and might be best off restructuring or trading Carr’s pact.
Moore was asked for a second time about Carr and whether the team has a quarterback decision to make.
“I view it as Derek Carr is a tremendous starting quarterback in this league,” Moore told reporters. “We’re fortunate to have him, and we’re excited to go through this process as we build this roster together.”
The Saints finished 9-8 under an effective if not excellent Carr in 2023. Last season New Orleans was 5-5 in games Carr played, but several injuries knocked him from the other seven games — all losses.
Carr, 34 next month, knows the financial discussions are coming.
“That’s the life of a quarterback,” Carr told ESPN in January. “Whenever the season doesn’t end the way [you wanted], that’s the person people look at. ‘Well, what money can we free up to get this and do this’ … and I’m fully confident with what I put on tape. I’m not worried, if that’s the case, and it had to change and all that kind of stuff. I’m super confident that whatever it is, I could get anywhere else to play. And so I’m not worried about that, but at the same time, I just want to win.”
