The New Orleans Saints are giving Derek Carr a four-year, $150 million deal with $100 million in total guarantees, per NFL Media's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo. Earlier today, ESPN's Dianna Russini reported that Carr agreed to sign with the Saints.
Now, the details of Carr's contract with the Saints are becoming public.
Before being released by the Las Vegas Raiders, Carr met with the Saints. The Saints had a trade package in place for Carr but the quarterback then told the Raiders he would not accept a trade to any team.The #Saints & Derek Carr agreed on a 4-yr deal for $150M with $100M in total guarantees, per me & @MikeGarafolo. He gets $70M effectively fully guaranteed ($60M at signing, another $10M in Year 3 vesting after Year 1).
Carr structures his deal to accommodate Saints’ cap issues. pic.twitter.com/vs6qaBh7rg — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 6, 2023
With that move, Carr forced the Raiders to release him. Because of that Carr move, the Saints got the quarterback without giving up any assets to acquire him.
Carr reunites with his old coach
When Carr was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in 2014, Dennis Allen was the Raiders' head coach.
Nine years later, Carr and Allen are reuniting as Allen has been the Saints' head coach since 2021. Before the Saints and Raiders game last October, Carr spoke highly of Allen. "[Allen] and I have a great relationship still to this day.
And I still talk to him and things like that -- obviously not this week and all those things -- but we've always kept in contact, we've always been close," Carr said in October. In 2023, Carr will be a man on a mission. Carr's tenure with the Raiders didn't end on a positive note and the veteran quarterback will be determined to prove in 2023 that he can lead an NFL team to success in the league.
In February, Carr said he wanted to go somewhere where he could compete for Super Bowl wins. The Saints aren't really considered a powerhouse but some believed that not having a great quarterback this past season cost them a playoff appearance. It remains to be seen if Carr can win a Super Bowl ring with the Saints.