Report: Steelers Waiting to See about Starting QB Who Could Be Cut
The Pittsburgh Steelers have seemingly been interested in just about every external quarterback option that could possibly come their way, and now you can add one more to the list.
According to Ben Allbright of KOA Colorado, the Steelers have been interested New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr, pending the possibility of the Saints releasing their incumbent starter.
The Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen and replaced him with former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore this offseason and there could be a desire to let Moore start with a blank slate at the quarterback position.
In 10 games with the Saints in 2024, the 33-year-old Carr averaged 214.5 yards per game, completed 67.7% of his passes and had a 101.0 passer rating.
The Saints are currently $47.5 million over the salary cap and need to make drastic moves before the start of the new league year. That’s the worst salary cap situation in the entire NFL.
Carr has two years remaining on his contract with the Saints. He is scheduled to earn $40 million in 2025 and $50 million in 2026. His $30 million in salary for this season will become guaranteed on the third league day, or March 14. His $10 million roster bonus becomes guaranteed on March 15 and is due on March 16.
If the Saints release Carr before any of his money becomes guaranteed, with a post-June 1 designation, they’ll save $30 million against this season’s salary cap, while adding dead cap hits of $21.5 million this year and $28.7 million in 2026.
Carr would not be in the same situation that Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson was in during the 2024 season, when the Denver Broncos paid most of his salary and the Steelers only paid him in the minimum. Because Carr does not have any guaranteed money for 2025 at this point, the Saints would owe him nothing further if they released him and any acquiring team should expect to pay full market value for his services.
Carr spent the last two seasons with the Saints. Before that, he played nine seasons with the Oakland and Las Vegas Raiders, who made him their second-round pick out of Fresno State in 2014. Carr has been a Pro Bowl selection four times in has career, most recently in 2022.
In addition to the Steelers potentially being interested in Carr, the Saints have been reportedly showing interest in Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson.