Some Saints Coaches Reportedly Were 'Unaware' of Derek Carr's Injury Before Report

Fans and analysts weren't the only ones caught off guard by the news of Derek Carr's shoulder injury.

Per ESPN's Katherine Terrell, some assistant coaches for the New Orleans Saints were "unaware" anything was wrong with Carr until it was reported.

Terrell added it's "unknown" when the organization found out about it.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport originally reported on April 11 that Carr was dealing with a shoulder injury that may require surgery and has his status for the 2025 season uncertain.

The timing, coming two weeks before the draft, and surprising nature of the report has raised some eyebrows within the NFL.

On the April 16 episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd (starts at ), The Athletic's Dianna Russini said people in the league were checking in to say "this is fishy" and one head coach called it "trade bait."

Russini did note some people in the Saints organization that the situation was "peculiar," but they "knew" of it in the sense that "something strange was boiling."

It's not a secret that Carr's relationship with the Saints has been in an odd place since the end of the season. The four-time Pro Bowler told reporters in January he "wouldn't" take a pay cut to help their cap situation.

Terrell and Jeremy Fowler reported in January that Carr was open to testing free agency before the Saints elected to restructure his contract, all but ensuring he would remain with them for the 2025 season.

There had been rumblings throughout the offseason that the Saints were interested in a quarterback early in the draft anyway. That talk only got louder after Carr's injury was reported, with Shedeur Sanders being the betting favorite to be selected by New Orleans at No. 9 overall.

We are just one year removed from the Atlanta Falcons seemingly going all-in on Kirk Cousins before stunning everyone by selecting Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth pick in the 2024 draft.

The move looks great for the Falcons right now because Cousins struggled last season before getting benched for the final three games, giving Penix a chance to get his feet wet as a rookie and entering this season in position to be the full-time starter.

Whether or not Carr wants to be in a situation like that may not matter. The Saints will do what they think is in the best long-term interest of their franchise, especially with a top-10 pick in the draft if they like any of the quarterbacks on the board.