Per Mike Triplett, the $30 million the Saints will recoup from QB Derek Carr after his retirement will be applied to the team’s salary cap in 2026.
That will lower Carr’s dead money from $59.67 million to $30.925 million in 2026, per Triplett, and make it much easier for the Saints financially after starting the last several offseasons deep in the red.
Over The Cap currently projects the Saints to be $42 million in the red in 2026. But New Orleans has $27 million in cap space, most of which will probably be rolled over. Combined with the $30 million in savings from Carr, and it’s likely the Saints will be back in the black for the first time in years.
It was reported shortly after Carr announced his retirement that he would give back the $30 million from the Saints’ restructure of his contract this offseason while keeping the $10 million of his 2026 compensation that had already been guaranteed last year.
Carr, 34, is a former second-round pick of the Raiders back in 2014. He was in the final year of his contract when the Raiders signed him to a five-year, $125 million extension that included $70 million guaranteed in 2017.
Carr stood to make a base salary of $19.77 million in the final year of his contract and was set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2023 when he signed a three-year, $121.5 million extension.
However, the Raiders released Carr the following season, and he signed a four-year, $150 million deal with the Saints.
He was due a base salary of $40 million and $50 million in total in the final year of his contract in 2026.
In 2024, Carr appeared in ten games for the Saints and completed 68.1 percent of his passes for 1,926 yards, 14 touchdowns, and four interceptions.
For his career, Carr appeared in 169 total games for the Raiders and Saints for a career record of 77-92. He completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 41,245 yards to go along with 257 touchdowns and 112 interceptions.
We’ll have more on Carr and the Saints as the news becomes available.
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