Derek Carr Trade Rumors: Saints, Raiders Have Framework for Deal in Place

Derek Carr to the Saints isn't a done deal, but the Las Vegas Raiders quarterback could soon be headed to New Orleans.

The Raiders and Saints "already have the framework" of a Carr trade in place, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Carr controls his own destiny on where he ends up as he has a no-trade clause on his contract.

The Saints are considered the front-runner for Carr, who has been at the team's headquarters each of the last two days.

Carr has spent the first nine seasons of his career in Las Vegas, but it became clear the franchise was looking to move on from the veteran signal-caller when it benched him in favor of Jarrett Stidham for the final two games of the 2022 regular season.

At this point, it's unclear whether Carr would approve a trade to the Big Easy. However, he does have a prior relationship with Saints head coach Dennis Allen, who could help a deal along.

Allen was the Raiders head coach in 2014 when the organization drafted Carr.

The Saints may have underachieved in 2022, finishing with a 7-10 record, but that's partially because they didn't have an above-average starting quarterback with Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton seeing time under center.

The New Orleans offense may find far more success with Carr as its starting quarterback in 2023, especially because it has some solid weapons, including Chris Olave.

While Carr has yet to win a Super Bowl or receive any major honor aside from being selected to the Pro Bowl four times, he's still a serviceable quarterback capable of leading a team into the postseason.

During the 2022 season, the 31-year-old completed 60.8 percent of his passes for 3,522 yards and 24 touchdowns against 14 interceptions in 15 games. While it was far from his best season, he had to deal with a new offensive system under head coach Josh McDaniels and offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi.

One of Carr's best seasons came in 2019 when he completed 70.4 percent of his passes for 4,054 yards and 21 touchdowns against eight interceptions in 16 games. If he can replicate those numbers in New Orleans, he would be just fine with the Saints.