Derek Carr Injury Update: Darren Rizzi says Saints QB won’t be put on injured reserve 

Despite injuring himself in the win over the Giants, Derek Carr will miss a few Saints games but remain on the active roster, according to coach Darren Rizzi.

Derek Carr Injury Update: Darren Rizzi says Saints QB won’t be put on injured reserve 

Derek Carr (Image via ESPN)

Derek Carr hurt himself when the New Orleans Saints played the New York Giants on Sunday. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the veteran quarterback suffered a “significant fracture” to his non-throwing hand.

Midway through the game, Carr was hit hard by the Giants’ blitz from his blindside, causing him to fumble the ball. Once the chaos subsided, the Saints QB was lying on the ground holding his shoulder. The paramedics took him to the medical tent for evaluation.

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The Saints won the game 14-11, improving their season’s tally to 5 from 13 games. Yet, the joy of closing in on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South was cut short after the doctors revealed Carr’s condition. Acting head coach Darren Rizzi disclosed that the 33-year-old injured his non-throwing hand and also will be on the concussion protocol. He will potentially miss a few weeks.

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Derek’s dealing with a non-throwing hand injury. As it stands at this moment, I don’t believe it’s going to be an I.R. situation; I think it’s going to be a week-to-week situation.

Darren Rizzi said via Saints Wire

It’s good news and bad news, depending on how one looks at it. The key point to notice in Rizzi’s statement is that the Saints will not place Derek Carr on the injured reserve. Well, at least for the time being, the Saints fan can still think about a turn in fortune in the remaining games.

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Will Derek Carr stick around with the Saints after 2024?

Even if Rizzi makes Carr out as a week-to-week situation, the Saints front office still has to make a business decision based on the four-time Pro Bowler’s ability to continue without picking up a serious injury down the line.

Derek Carr injury update Darren Rizzi says Saints QB won't be put on injured reserve 
Derek Carr (Image via IMAGO)

If that happens, then the $30 million injury bonus becomes guaranteed. They would surely like to avoid paying him that sum considering there’s a possibility of finishing with a top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. If Carr is out of commission, then it makes sense to move on from him.

Unless the Saints hierarchy makes Rizzi’s position permanent next year, they will bring in a new head coach. The new coach would look to start from scratch, and instead of continuing with an old injury-prone quarterback, drafting a rookie quarterback makes more sense.

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Carr has a cap hit of $59.2 million in 2025, and if the Saints want to avoid triggering it, then a post-June 1 release should be their primary agenda. This will save them the $30 million injury bonus. Mimicking the way the Giants handled Daniel Jones’s departure may be the smartest course of action. The Giants benched Jones to avoid further injury and then subsequently from the team.

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