Uncertainty looms over the Saints’ direction at the quarterback position for 2025. The same is true on the sidelines since a new head coach has yet to be hired. Both situations, to no surprise, are linked.
During a Monday press conference, general manager Mickey Loomis made it clear no final decision has been made at this point with the respect to how the team will proceed under center. He added (via Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football) New Orleans’ next head coach will have a large say in whether or not Derek Carr will remain uncontested atop the depth chart or other options will be brought in. For his part, though, Loomis praised the veteran signal-caller.
“I have a high level of confidence in Derek,” Loomis said (via Underhill). ” He’s done some really good things here.”
Carr is currently on track to collect $30MM in base salary for 2025. $10MM of that figure is already locked in, and the remainder will become guaranteed in full in mid-March unless any adjustments are made. The four-time Pro Bowler recently made it clear he will not accept a pay cut, so a decision on a restructure (something the Saints, as usual, will need to rely on to achieve cap compliance this spring) or a trade or release will need to be made fairly soon.
In the meantime, New Orleans’ head coaching search continues. The team has already conducted several interviews, and few other candidates (with the potential exception of Mike McCarthy, who will not return with the Cowboys) are likely to receive attention. For now, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn looks to be the leading contender for the gig. He served as the Saints’ defensive backs coach for five seasons, and a return to his former team remains a distinct possibility.
After New Orleans elected to move on from Dennis Allen midseason, special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi was promoted to interim HC. Shifting to a coach with an offensive background could take place with an eye on maximizing Carr’s remaining play as he approaches his age-34 season. In any case, changes elsewhere on the staff could take place once a new head coaching hire is made, as evidenced by the fact offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is taking interviews with other teams for the same role.
Neither Spencer Rattler nor Jake Haener showed enough late in the season to suggest they could be take over QB1 duties in the event the Saints were to move on from Carr, but it remains to be seen how the team’s next head…