The New Orleans Saints wasted no time replacing Derek Carr on their roster.
New Orleans announced it would sign controversial undrafted rookie free agent Hunter Dekkers mere days after Carr’s surprise retirement announcement.
Carr retired instead of recovering from a devastating injury to his throwing shoulder, leaving an opening in the Saints quarterback room. He was not expected to play this season and instead worked on an amicable agreement with the Saints.
Still, it remains to be seen what Dekkers will end up being — could he be a training-camp arm or compete for a roster spot? He somehow has rebounded from his own devastating circumstances
Don’t Bet On It
Dekkers’ college career started at Iowa State, and he threw for 3,044 and 19 touchdowns during his junior season in Ames.
But Dekkers’ NCAA eligibility was revoked after it was discovered he placed more than $1,000 on college-football bets as a minor, including $15 on the Cyclones — albeit in a game he did not play.
Dekkers went on to Iowa Western of National Junior College Athletic Association, where he had a huge season by throwing for 3,806 yards and 38 touchdowns. Though he was not drafted, Dekkers attended the Saints’ rookie minicamp in April then was offered a contract after Carr’s announcement.
Dekkers may have a chance to revitalize his image and name while playing for the Saints. But he will have a tough time even making the New Orleans roster — let alone playing games for the Saints.
A Crowded House
Signing with the Saints gives Dekkers a better chance of getting on the field than just about any other QB situation — outside of maybe Pittsbugh.
But Dekkers still has a long way to go to even make the team.
That’s because, according to NFL Media’s Mike Garafalo, the starting job is second-round draft pick Tyler Shough’s to lose. Shough, who the Saints selected with the 40th pick in the 2025 draft, threw 3,195 yards and 23 touchdowns — with just six interceptions — during his senior season at Louisville.
“[Shough] now has a path to being the starting quarterback,” Garafalo said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Still, Shough will have to edge out two quarterbacks who started games for New Orleans in 2024, Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler. Neither incumbent was particularly effective, since Haener completed just 46.2 percent passes and had as many interceptions as touchdowns (1).
Rattler played more but also struggled by throwing for just 1,317 yards and four touchdowns in seven games. New Orleans went 0-7 in games where Rattler played.
So with three not-great options — at least on paper — Saints’ first-year coach Kellen Moore announced a quarterback competition ahead of July’s training camp. Dekkers, who was not on the roster when Moore announced the competition, was not named among those vying for the starting spot.
“They’ve all earned these opportunities,” Moore told reporters over the weekend, referencing Shough, Haener and Rattler. “We’ll let Jake, Spencer, and Tyler kind of go through this process; again we’ll play patience and let these guys compete. Let them get into training camp and naturally these guys’ [competitive spirit] is going to take care of itself.”
Saints to Sign Controversial New QB After Derek Carr Retirement Announcement