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Katherine Terrell
METAIRIE, La. — New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis confirmed that quarterback Derek Carr has an “issue” with his shoulder but didn’t answer any further questions about Carr’s current status at a predraft news conference Wednesday.
“He does have an issue with his shoulder; we’re hoping to get some resolution and clarity on that in the near future, and when we do, I’ll report back to you,” Loomis said.
News of Carr’s shoulder issue was made public in early April, three days before the team was set to report for the beginning of its voluntary offseason workout program.
Loomis declined any other Carr-related questions, including when the team found out about the injury, but said it would not affect the Saints’ draft approach. They hold the ninth pick in the draft, which begins Thursday night.
“I don’t think the draft approach is different for us than it would be in any year,” Loomis said. “We’re hoping for as many good players, great players, as we can find. And we’re fortunate enough this year to have multiple picks in the first four rounds and we’re excited about that because I think there’s some depth in this draft.”
Loomis also announced that the team would be picking up the fifth-year option of wide receiver Chris Olave, who has started 28 games for the Saints but played in only eight games last season due to multiple concussions.
Loomis said the team would not be picking up the fifth-year option of offensive tackle Trevor Penning, who was the team’s starting left tackle in 2023 before being benched later that season. Penning was moved to a role as starting right tackle after the Saints selected offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga in the first round of the 2024 draft.
“We are going to exercise the option on Chris and we’re not going to exercise the option on Trevor, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love Trevor and expect him to be part of our team going forward,” Loomis said.
The Saints restructured Carr’s contract in March, opening up almost $31 million in salary cap space by converting Carr’s base salary and roster bonus into a signing bonus. The move cut his 2025 cap hit to $20.4 million but ballooned his 2026 cap hit to $69.2 million and guaranteed his $40 million in salary and bonuses, likely tying Carr to the Saints until next year.
Several league sources told ESPN that they believed Carr was open to testing the market before the restructure. Carr played in only 10 games last year due to an oblique injury and a fractured hand that caused him to miss the final games of the season.
When asked whether restructures generally require a player to pass a physical, Loomis said, “Restructures can come in all sorts of forms.”
Carr has not been at the team facility for the start of the offseason program, but Loomis said he’s been happy with the attendance overall.
“I feel really good about it, excited about the new staff, excited about some of the things that we’ve doing that are different, and I feel like, from a player standpoint, I just feel a level of excitement and enthusiasm that gives us a lot of positive feelings,” Loomis said.
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