New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr left Week 14’s win over the New York Giants with multiple injuries, thrusting the end of his season into uncertainty. With playoff hopes dwindling, some expect the quarterback to be shut down, although both Carr and interim head coach Darren Rizzi have said otherwise.
Let’s examine his status for Week 16 against the Green Bay Packers and the rest of the season.
Derek Carr Injury Update Rules Saints QB Out for Monday Night
The updates began with NFL Network reporting that Carr was “very unlikely” to play again this season after he suffered a hand injury and concussion in their 14-11 win over the Giants.
Rizzi disputed those claims, saying “by no means is it a reach.” However, Carr was officially ruled out on Saturday with an injury to his left hand. Backup Spencer Rattler will start in his place in Green Bay.
Rizzi added, though, that Carr had a “really good day” during rehab. The quarterback injured himself on Dec. 8 leaping over a teammate trying to get a first down.
“If he was done for the season, we would have put him on (injured reserve) by now and we would have shut him down,” Rizzi said. “That’s just not the case. He’s working his tail off every day. He’s frustrated by some of the reports.”
Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi gives an injury update on Derek Carr and Alvin Kamara https://t.co/hd9dCTu23a pic.twitter.com/gxQpql9FpF
— NOF (@nofnetwork) December 21, 2024
“Quite frankly, we’ve had multiple conversations about it and he’s in here every day,” Rizzi continued. But for Carr to play, Rizzi says Carr will have to gain some functionality back in his hand for him to practice.
At this point, his hand is what is holding him out of action, not his concussion.
Rizzi again reiterated, according to Nola.com, that despite the Saints’ 5-9 record, they have no plans to shut Carr down for the season with three weeks to go.
“I heard somebody the other day, ‘Why would we try to bring Derek back?’” Rizzi said. “Since I’ve taken over, Derek has started four games. We’re 3-1 in those games. He’s got a 68% completion percentage. He’s thrown six touchdowns. He’s got one interception. He’s taken two sacks. His quarterback rating is over 103.
“So why would I play him? I think it’s kind of obvious why we would play him.”
According to his Saints teammates, Carr wants to play, but Rizzi also made it clear that if he feels playing the quarterback will put him in harm’s way, he won’t be starting.
“Derek’s extremely competitive, in every facet of his life,” tight end Foster Moreau said. “I love the guy. He is an extreme competitor, and if he feels like he can go out and cut it loose and give his team a chance to win, I don’t doubt him. Not for a second.”
With the Saints’ playoff chances all but done, some will call for Carr to be put on ice for the rest of the year, especially if they plan on bringing him back for 2025.
New Orleans will weigh the long-term risk and reward of Carr’s presence in meaningless games, presumably with Rattler’s performance on Monday playing into the conversation.
Derek Carr’s QB+ Grade and Score Before Injury
Here at Pro Football Network, we have created our own Quarterback+ (QB+) metric, which weighs statistics we value highly and then uses them to evaluate a quarterback across the current season.
Our metric uses numbers that are fully available through 2019, so that’s where the historical context comes from. All data referenced is relative to either the current season or in comparison to stats dating back to 2000 for most or 2019 for pressure-related data.
Up to this point in the season, in the games that Carr played in, he had an 83.8 rating.
Despite the turmoil around the team, 2024 has been Carr’s best year in New Orleans.
He currently ranks 11th in EPA/DB (0.11) and is 12th when working under pressure (-0.20 EPA/DB). Carr is also 10th when it comes to his TD/INT rate (3.0) and inside the top 10 for nYPA, albeit with a ninth-ranked 5.8 YAC/Cp.