NFL Rumors: Saints to Make Decisions from 'Derek Carr on Down' amid High Salary Cap

The New Orleans Saints will be under the spotlight during the upcoming offseason given their salary-cap situation and questions about their on-field performance, but they reportedly don't plan to shift into a complete rebuild.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Sunday the NFC South team "isn't planning for an overhaul" even though "there will be decisions, from quarterback Derek Carr on down."

Rapoport called the financial realities "the elephant in the room" and projected the Saints to be approximately $60 million over the cap going off a $270 million cap estimate for the 2025 season.

To say this season isn't going as planned for New Orleans would be an understatement.

It has lost seven games after a promising 2-0 start and fired head coach Dennis Allen following the latest defeat to the Carolina Panthers. Injuries have also been a concern, as players such as Carr, Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed have missed time.

Rather than competing for what figured to be a wide-open NFC South, the Saints are instead looking at a potential top-five draft pick in what will be an important offseason if things don't change on the field in the season's second half.

Yet Rapoport stressed the front office isn't "envisioning taking their franchise down to the studs, just like they didn't plan a fire sale prior to this past Tuesday's trade deadline. With a roster they believe is far better than their record, one besieged by unrelenting injuries, the Saints believe in pushing forward, rather than stepping back."

The start indicated that a healthier Saints may have battled for a playoff spot, which provides some optimism for 2025. And the salary-cap situation is apparently manageable with Rapoport explaining that restructuring the top-eight cap hits for players such as Carr, Cameron Jordan and Tyrann Mathieu could move the Saints under the number.

Carr could be the most notable decision as the quarterback.

He will be 34 years old next season and has been solid but unspectacular when on the field with a 2-4 record while completing 67.9 percent of his passes for 1,225 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions.

The veteran is signed through the 2026 season, although he has a potential out on his contract for 2025. Even a restructuring of that deal could put the Saints in better position to compete for a playoff spot next year, though, especially if paired with other moves.

For now, they are largely playing out the string and will face the rival Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.