Carr started the Saints' 16-14 preseason win over the Cardinals on Saturday night and completed two of six passes for 12 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Carr played on the Saints' first two possessions and counted a 10-yard completion to Chris Olave on his second pass attempt as the highlight of his short night. The veteran signal-caller is locked in as New Orleans' top quarterback heading into his second season with the franchise, although a lackluster campaign could put his long-term future with the team into question.
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Status
ACTIVELatest Derek Carr news
Team
New Orleans Saints
Birthdate
3/28/1991 (33)
Status
Active
HT/WT
6'3", 215 lbs
Draft Info
2014: Rd 2; Pk (LV)
Birthplace
Fresno, CA, USA
Position
QB
College
Fresno State
Experience
11 seasons
Career History
New Orleans Saints
2023-Present
(2 seasons)
Las Vegas Raiders
2020-2023
(3 seasons)
Carr started the Saints' 16-14 preseason win over the Cardinals on Saturday night and completed two of six passes for 12 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Carr played on the Saints' first two possessions and counted a 10-yard completion to Chris Olave on his second pass attempt as the highlight of his short night. The veteran signal-caller is locked in as New Orleans' top quarterback heading into his second season with the franchise, although a lackluster campaign could put his long-term future with the team into question.
Carr put together another impressive yardage total -- his fifth 300-yard tally of the campaign -- and showed no apparent ill effects from his Week 10 concussion. However, Carr was already operating without Michael Thomas (IR-knee), and he then lost Chris Olave to a concussion as well while the second-year receiver was in the midst of what was potentially set to be a career-best performance. The in-game loss of Rashid Shaheed (thigh) was yet another obstacle in Carr's path, so it's difficult to fault the veteran signal-caller much for New Orleans' defeat and only his second touchdown-less effort in a non-injury-shortened game. Carr and the Saints will aim to regroup at the expense of the Lions in a Week 13 home matchup, but he faces the prospect of having to play that game with a significantly depleted receiving corps.
With the benefit of a Week 11 bye, Carr won't miss any time due to the concussion that he sustained during a Week 10 loss at Minnesota. He will be working without Michael Thomas (knee) for at least the next four games after the wide receiver was placed on injured reserve Tuesday. Having said that, Carr has a decent matchup on tap Sunday against a Falcons defense that has allowed the third-most combined touchdowns (21) to opposing quarterbacks this season.
Carr made an early departure from the Saints' last game in Week 10 at Minnesota due to a right shoulder injury and concussion. While his shoulder checked out OK after the game, he entered the five-step concussion protocol. With the benefit of a Week 11 bye, Carr has made progress through the protocol and appears on the doorstep of clearing the fifth and final phase. He'll have three more days to do so ahead of Sunday's contest in Atlanta.
Carr took a big hit from both sides of his body during Sunday's Week 10 loss to the Vikings and had to leave the game early with shoulder and concussion issues. He appears to have avoided anything serious with the shoulder and will have a Week 11 bye to rest up ahead of a divisional date with the Falcons on Sunday, Nov. 26. Carr said he hopes to play versus Atlanta, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Carr will likely have to clear the NFL's concussion protocol in addition to recovering from a shoulder injury in order to return to the field, but he's hoping New Orleans' well-timed Week 11 bye will provide enough recovery time for the quarterback to avoid missing further game action. He was replaced by Jameis Winston after exiting Sunday's 27-19 loss to the Vikings. Following the loss, coach Dennis Allen said Carr will remain the team's starting quarterback once healthy, per Rod Walker of The Times-Picayune.
Carr carried once for 10 yards and completed 13 of 18 pass attempts for 110 yards before leaving the game midway through the third quarter, when he took a hard hit from a Minnesota defender on a 15-yard pass to Chris Olave. The signal-caller was able to walk off the field under his own power, but he was carted to the locker room and ruled out for the game soon thereafter. Jameis Winston came on in relief of Carr and will step in as the Saints' quarterback for the rest of the day. Carr, meanwhile, will turn his focus toward getting healthy in advance of the Saints' next game Nov. 26 against the Falcons, with the team's Week 11 bye coming at a convenient time. Given that Carr previously suffered an AC joint sprain to his throwing shoulder Week 3 against the Packers, overcoming the new shoulder injury may prove to be more difficult than clearing the concussion protocol.
Carr threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Chris Olave in the first quarter and added a two-yard touchdown pass to Taysom Hill in the second. The Saints got another passing touchdown to take a 24-17 lead in the fourth quarter, but that one was thrown by Hill. This game snapped a streak of three consecutive 300-yard passing performances from Carr, but Carr has yet to throw more than two touchdowns in a game this season, and he continues to cede a significant portion of goal-line looks under center to Hill, who offers a mix of power running and passing ability. Carr will bring a 10:4 TD:INT into a Week 10 road game in Minnesota.
Carr and the Saints offense fell back into a rhythm after he logged 50-plus passing attempts in back-to-back games. The 32-year-old's first touchdown was an 18-yard score that came on a short pass to running back Alvin Kamara; but, Carr also logged his longest touchdown pass of the season when he hit wideout Rashid Shaheed in stride for a 58-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Carr also eclipsed the 300-yard mark for the third game in a row, though he averaged significantly more yards per attempt (11.5) compared to the previous two outings. The veteran signal-caller coughed up just his sixth turnover of the season when he was strip-sacked early in the first quarter, and he's yet to commit multiple turnovers in any game so far this season. Carr and the Saints offense will look to put together another explosive outing versus the Bears in a Week 9 matchup.