The New Orleans Saints will obviously not trust Jameis Winston at quarterback next season, as they offered Derek Carr a four-year contract on Monday.
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The one who was released in February by the Las Vegas Raiders fell back on his feet. The NFL Network has learned that the 31-year-old has signed a deal worth a total of $150 million, of which $100 million is guaranteed.
In Louisiana, Carr will reunite with head coach Dennis Allen, who happened to be the Raiders’ pilot when the team drafted the California native in 2014. He spent the first nine seasons of his NFL run with that organization. .
“I had the opportunity to work with Derek early in his professional football career. Along with his talent, I admired his approach to the game, his work ethic and his dedication to getting better every day in what were formative stages of his career,” Allen said in a statement.
“Derek is an outstanding addition to the New Orleans Saints, and I look forward to working with him and the rest of our team this offseason,” he added.
The end for Winston?
Despite Carr’s success, the Raiders have only made the playoffs twice in the past decade. The pivot had especially stood out at the start of his career, notably with a 2015 season of 32 touchdown passes.
In 2022, the center played 15 games, amassing 3,522 yards through the air for 24 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Little known for his mobility, he hasn’t scored a major with his legs in two years.
Last year, the Saints mostly relied on veteran Andy Dalton, starting 14 games. New Orleans narrowly missed the playoff schedule, going 7-10 good for third place in the National Conference South Division.
Winston, meanwhile, has only appeared in three meetings in 2022. He will command a salary of $12.8 million this year. Also according to ESPN, the Saints could choose to buy out his pact and save $12.8 million by releasing him after June 1.
More than 100 million reasons to be happy for Geno Smith
Carr wouldn’t be the only quarterback to break the bank on Monday.
Indeed, Geno Smith would have initialed a three-year contract extension worth $ 105 million with the Seattle Seahawks. That’s what the NFL Network said.
The 32-year-old veteran could have become a free agent next week. Instead, he decided to extend his association with the team that gave him the best moments of his career.
Last year, Smith started all 17 regular season and playoff games for the Seahawks. He completed 69.8% of the passes he attempted for 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns. This is a peak for someone who had not been the number one on a team since the 2013 season, his first in his career.
Smith spent his first four seasons with the New York Jets, before enjoying one-year stints with the New York Giants and Los Angeles Chargers. He joined the Seahawks in 2020 and served two years as second fiddle behind Russell Wilson.
The 11 quarterbacks with the highest annual salary
- Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) – $50.3 million
- Russell Wilson (Denver Broncos) – $49 million
- Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals) – $46.1 million
- Deshaun Watson (Cleveland Browns) – $46 million
- Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs) – $45 million
- Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills) – $43 million
- Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys) – $40 million
- Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams) – $40 million
- Derek Carr (New Orleans Saints) – $37.5 million (not confirmed by team)
- Kirk Cousins (Minnesota Vikings) – $35 million
- Geno Smith (Seattle Seahawks) – $35 million (not confirmed by team)