Mickey Loomis spoke to the press on Monday, Jan. 13th, and answered questions about his own role in the Saints organization, the current head-coaching vacancy, and quarterback Derek Carr.
Mickey Loomis Has High Praise for Saints Derek Carr
“Top Ten”
The 2024 season saw the team finish with the second-worst record of Loomis’ 23-year spell as the team’s general manager. When asked about the state of the franchise, he remained upbeat. Among the things that Loomis feels positive about, is the competency of the Saints starting quarterback, Derek Carr.
Carr started 10 games for the Saints this past season, with the team going 5-5 in those games after a blistering 2-0 start against Carolina and Dallas. There are many varying opinions surrounding the talent of the Saints quarterback, but Loomis seems more convinced, pointing to Carr’s performance in several different metrics.
“He did some really good things. If he’d have qualified, which I’m not sure if he did, his quarterback rating would be in the top ten, his interception rating would be in the top ten, his yards per attempt would be in the top ten. … When you don’t have your top two receivers and you don’t have that special weapon in Taysom Hill… those are some tough circumstances.”
Saints GM Mickey Loomis on his level of confidence in Derek Carr
Full Interview
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Whether or not you agree with Loomis, what’s not up for debate is that Carr’s five wins were the only wins the teams managed all year.
Carr Won’t Take Pay Cut
At the beginning of the year, Carr told ESPN’s Katherine Terrell that he has no interest in taking a pay cut to stay in New Orleans, with the team facing a salary-cap crisis.
“Yeah I wouldn’t do that. Especially with what I put on tape. Would I restructure? Absolutely, I’ll always help the team in that way.”
And it’s hard to argue that he should. Carr, while not an elite game-winner who is likely to carry any team to a Super Bowl, is a competent starter who could improve several teams.
Even so, the Saints face a huge task to comply with salary cap restrictions in 2025 and may be forced to seek trade offers for Derek Carr this offseason. Several teams could use help at the position, but those organizations could address the need in free agency.
Sam Darnold, Russell Wilson, Daniel Jones and Justin Fields are some of the names that could be looking for new teams in 2025. Darnold and Wilson made a strong case to be re-signed during the 2024 regular season, but both have tailed off significantly and saw their teams eliminated in the Wildcard round last weekend.
With the 2025 draft class not boasting too much quarterback talent though, there could potentially be a market for Carr, who has two years remaining on his current contract.
Potential Trade Destinations
There are six teams in the NFL that, as things stand, should be looking to add a quarterback for 2025. The Titans and Browns are in need, but both have top-two picks in the draft and would almost certainly rather try their luck there.
The Giants are up next in the draft and may be out of luck by then. With a plethora of holes to address on their roster, it would make more sense to invest in an elite prospect at No.3 and find a quarterback elsewhere.
Next up are the Raiders, who drafted Carr in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Carr spent nine seasons with the Silver and Black before being benched by Josh McDaniels towards the end of the 2022 season. Carr has spoken highly of his time with the Raiders and has several friends there, while McDaniels proved an incredibly unpopular figure in Vegas. The team will have a brand new head coach and general manager, so perhaps a return isn’t out of the question.
Another team that will be moving forward with a new head coach and general manager is the Jets. It remains unclear whether or not Aaron Rodgers will be back in New York next season, with retirement a strong possibility for the future Hall Of Famer.
Finally, the Pittsburgh Steelers must address the quarterback position after being handed a very kind situation in 2024. The Steelers paid next to nothing for Russell Wilson’s services in 2024, whilst getting a good look at the exciting, if volatile, Justin Fields. Fields was used sparingly in Pittsburgh whilst Wilson’s wild nature proved costly in big moments. It’s unclear which direction the team will look in 2025, but Carr’s situation could be of interest.
Main Photo: Stephen Lew – USA Today Sports
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