Can Derek Carr stay healthy in 2024? And who replaces the Saints QB if he doesn’t? (2024)

After his first season with the New Orleans Saints, Derek Carr didn’t start throwing a football again until March.

The months-long gap wasn’t for a lack of desire. The quarterback said the break was necessary because of a sprained AC joint that bothered him throughout last season. The injury, which occurred in Week 3, had to be carefully managed for Carr to suit up every week, and it lingered into the offseason.

“I tried to do things, but I just couldn’t do them yet,” Carr told The Times-Picayune in May. “There was a lot of rehab.”

Carr appeared in all 17 games for the Saints in 2023, but New Orleans will need him to be healthier this season than he was a year ago. In addition to his shoulder injury, Carr also suffered two concussions and fractured ribs. The health issues led to up-and-down performances.

If Carr can’t go at any point, the quarterback picture also looks different than last year for the Saints. Gone is Jameis Winston, now with the Cleveland Browns. And there’s an open competition for who will serve as Carr’s primary backup. Let’s dive into the group.

Current roster

• Derek Carr
• Jake Haener
• Spencer Rattler
• Nathan Peterman

Burning question

Can Carr stay healthy? And who replaces him if he doesn’t?

The good news for the Saints is that Carr has a strong track record of staying upright. He hasn’t actually missed a game because of injury since 2017, when he suffered an inverse back fracture that caused him to sit out a Week 4 matchup against the Denver Broncos. Before that, a broken leg in December 2016 forced Carr to miss that season’s playoffs — a blow to a Raiders team that had gone 12-4.

Still, Carr is 33, and getting older can make it tougher to recover from nicks and bruises. That’s partly why the Saints have invested in young quarterbacks in back-to-back drafts. This year, New Orleans drafted Rattler in the fifth round — just a year after using a fourth-round pick on Haener.

Through organized team activities and mandatory minicamp, Haener has appeared to have a clear leg up on Rattler for the spot behind Carr. But the battle is far from over. Training camp and the preseason will go a long way in helping the coaches determine whether they’re more comfortable with Haener or Rattler.

If Carr were to suffer a serious injury, it’s worth wondering whether the Saints would be willing to ride it out with Haener or Rattler given that it could be a make-or-break year for coach Dennis Allen.

Former Tennessee Titans starter Ryan Tannehill remains unsigned should the Saints suddenly want a more veteran option at the position. But that’s premature, and the Saints will give Haener and Rattler plenty of chances this summer to show their progress.

Bold prediction

Carr will stay healthy and for just the second time in his career, he’ll throw for more than 30 touchdowns.

Carr hasn’t had that happen since 2015 — he threw 32 that year — but there are reasons for optimism. New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s scheme should be a big boost for Carr. Beyond the focus on play action, a previously underutilized strength of the quarterback, the new offense seems to play to Carr’s best traits by focusing on quick-timed throws in the middle of the field.

When Kubiak last worked with a veteran quarterback such as Carr in an offensive coordinator capacity, Kirk Cousins had one of his better years. In 2021, when Kubiak was then with the Minnesota Vikings, Cousins finished with 4,221 yards and 33 touchdowns compared to seven interceptions.

New Orleans likely will look to run the ball more next season than it did last year, but that doesn’t mean Carr’s individual stats have to suffer. He can still be sharp and productive, particularly in a system that should play to his strengths.