The New Orleans Saints have been the team most closely linked to new free agent Derek Carr. In an effort to clear up cap space for a potential Carr deal, the Saints have now re-worked Marcus Maye's contract.
The Saints have converted $6.07 of Maye's 2023 compensation into a signing bonus, via ESPN's Field Yates. The move has now created $4.86 million in cap space for the team.
New Orleans enter the offseason with the least amount of cap space available among all 32 NFL teams. The Saints are already $60 million in the red. Restructuring Maye's deal won't get the Saints completely out of the hole, but it will help New Orleans begin to plan their next offseason moves.
Marcus Maye was in his first season with the Saints this past year. He started 10 games and made 60 tackles, defended two passes and forced a fumble.
With the Saints looking to clear cap space, it could be an indicator that New Orleans is still very much in on Derek Carr. Carr visited the team twice as the Las Vegas Raiders were looking to trade him. Now that Carr has been released, he is free to sign with any team.
New Orleans is in desperate need of a quarterback upgrade. After shuffling between Andy Dalton and Jameis Winston last season, Carr poises a significant upgrade. While his tenure with the Raiders ended on a sour note, he still leaves Las Vegas as the franchise leader in passing yards (35,222) and passing touchdowns (217). Carr is also a four-time Pro Bowler.
On the surface, the Saints re-tooling Maye's contract is a way for New Orleans to improve their horrid cap number. But after showing interest before, it could be a precursor to the Saints signing Carr to be their new starting QB.
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