Saints have created almost exactly as much cap space as Derek Carr wants

The New Orleans Saints now have the money to actively pursue Derek Carr in his free agency.

Nobody does a better job of kicking the can down the road than New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis.

One day, they will write books about what he does running the Saints front office. At the end of the year, New Orleans will regularly be towards the bottom of the league in available space. You would think there is no way he can get under the cap, let alone sign marquee free agents. Well, after a series of moves, the Saints have freed up over $31.4 million … enough to sign Derek Carr.

The dollars are starting to make sense for the Saints to sign the former Las Vegas Raiders star.

New Orleans Saints have freed up almost enough cap space to sign Derek Carr

Carr’s divorce with the Silver and Black has been well-documented. After nine good, but not great years as their franchise quarterback, the Raiders are cutting ties with their former stabilizing presence. Carr is only in his early 30s, so he has plenty of high-quality ball left in the tank. While he said he would rather retire than play for anyone else, things have changed a lot in recent months…

On paper, the Saints have always seemed like the best potential fit for Carr. He played for Dennis Allen very early in his career in Oakland. Allen may be a defensive-minded coach, but much of Sean Payton’s previous New Orleans offensive staff remains intact. Not only that, but the Saints have found themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to replacing Drew Brees.

Overall, Carr will have plenty of suitors on the open market, but the Saints could be at the top of his list. The New York Jets might have a better roster, but they are also the Jets. New Orleans plays in a very winnable NFC South. Even if Allen pales in comparison to Payton, Carr has shown he can get to the NFL playoffs with an interim head coach. Just imagine if he goes to a winning franchise.

New Orleans has other needs to address, but none will matter until they land a new quarterback.