New Orleans quarterback Derek Carr injured his left hand on a play where he hurtled himself over a defender in an attempt to gain a first down in New Orleans' game against the New York Giants on Sunday. According to Ian Rapoport, that injury might be a fractured hand.
#Saints QB Derek Carr is feared to have suffered a fracture in his left, non-throwing hand, sources tell me and @TomPelissero. Another frustrating injury situation for Carr and New Orleans. pic.twitter.com/6hHDHD3pao
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 8, 2024
This sucks for Carr; a lot. A real competitor, there's no reason for Carr to be diving over defenders in a game between two teams long eliminated from the postseason... except for the fact that he wants to win games for his team, despite that team's record, despite how poorly the season has gone this far, despite everything.
Carr has been a great quarterback at times in his career. He's still a good quarterback, but the Saints roster doesn't have a ton of talent to surround him with. A win on Sunday lifted the team to 5-8 and they're not dead in the water in the NFC South, but with Carr gone for the season, this will likely be the Saints fourth straight year not making the postseason.
In an attempt to avoid purgatory, it might be time for the Saints to search for quarterback options elsewhere; specifically the 2025 Draft. This doesn't mean pick a quarterback and dump Carr — who would give the Saints a dead cap of about $50 million — but having a reliable young QB in back of Carr, ready to take over and lead New Orleans into a new era couldn't hurt.
New Orleans will likely pick in the middle of the first round
But using a first round pick on a quarterback likely isn't going to happen. There are other pressing needs on this team, and the Saints shouldn't use a prime pick on a quarterback when Carr can still be a winning quarterback.
But in the second round, if prospects like Jalen Milroe, Quinn Ewers or Carson Beck are still on the board, what's the downside of taking a swing on a guy who could be a long-term starter?
Again, Derek Carr can still be a good signal-caller. But in year four of playoff purgatory, it might be time to assess other options for the future of the franchise.