- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 404,200
- Reaction score
- 43
A recent report that Derek Carr was open to testing the market as a free agent has garnered a predictable response from New Orleans Saints fans -- if Carr was so eager to leave, why didn't the team let him?
The answer comes down to money. Specifically the dead money New Orleans is paying to players no longer on the roster. Right now, they rank fourth with $50,772,346 earmarked from past deals with cornerback Marshon Lattimore ($31,661,837), wide receiver Michael Thomas ($9,187,177), quarterback Jameis Winston ($7,361,000), and running back Jamaal Williams ($2,340,000). That number could go up even further in pending free agents aren't re-signed, like defense end Chase Young ($9,088,000), tight end Juwan Johnson ($6,500,000), and defensive lineman Tanoh Kpassagnon ($1,886,000). In a worst-case scenario, the Saints are looking at more than $68 million in dead money this season.
And cutting Carr would have nearly doubled it, adding another $50 million to the pile. That would have put the Saints at a staggering $118 million in dead money, adding Carr's payout to this worst-case scenario.
You can't build a team around that or hope to compete. It would have shattered the NFL record for dead money carried into a season. Look at the top five from ESPN:
So that's why the Saints balked at cutting Carr. Hopefully it was worth restructuring him. They're within arm's reach of salary cap compliance on the eve of free agency and need to prove they can compete with him at quarterback.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints would have set an NFL dead money record by cutting Derek Carr
Continue reading...
The answer comes down to money. Specifically the dead money New Orleans is paying to players no longer on the roster. Right now, they rank fourth with $50,772,346 earmarked from past deals with cornerback Marshon Lattimore ($31,661,837), wide receiver Michael Thomas ($9,187,177), quarterback Jameis Winston ($7,361,000), and running back Jamaal Williams ($2,340,000). That number could go up even further in pending free agents aren't re-signed, like defense end Chase Young ($9,088,000), tight end Juwan Johnson ($6,500,000), and defensive lineman Tanoh Kpassagnon ($1,886,000). In a worst-case scenario, the Saints are looking at more than $68 million in dead money this season.
And cutting Carr would have nearly doubled it, adding another $50 million to the pile. That would have put the Saints at a staggering $118 million in dead money, adding Carr's payout to this worst-case scenario.
You can't build a team around that or hope to compete. It would have shattered the NFL record for dead money carried into a season. Look at the top five from ESPN:
- 2022 Chicago Bears: $91.8 million
- 2022 Atlanta Falcons: $87.6 million
- 2022 Houston Texans: $81.3 million
- 2023 Los Angeles Rams: $79.6 million
- 2023 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $79.6 million
So that's why the Saints balked at cutting Carr. Hopefully it was worth restructuring him. They're within arm's reach of salary cap compliance on the eve of free agency and need to prove they can compete with him at quarterback.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints would have set an NFL dead money record by cutting Derek Carr
Continue reading...
