It appears that New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr has played his last game in the 2024 NFL regular season.

Carr was ruled out with a hand injury for Week 15's Saints game versus the Washington Commanders last Sunday at Caesars Superdome and is reportedly “very unlikely” to see action going forward in the 2024 campaign, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL  Network.

“Sources: #Saints QB Derek Carr underwent further examination recently, and he’s at least a few weeks away from being able to withstand contact,” posted Rapoport on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday morning. “With 3 weeks remaining, a return this season is described as very unlikely. Carr has been out with a left hand fractured in two places,” Rapoport added.

With Derek Carr sidelined in Week 15, the Saints went with Jake Haener as their starter under center. However, Haener proved to be ineffective, as he went 4-of-10 for 49 passing yards with zero touchdowns. He was intercepted and got sacked three times for a loss of 29 yards before he was replaced by Spencer Rattler, who did better but not enough for the Saints to avoid a 20-19 loss to the Commanders. Rattler finished the game with 135 passing yards and a touchdown with zero interceptions on 10-for-21 pass completions.

The Saints don't have to risk aggravating Derek Carr's injury

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The Saints are technically still in the hunt for a spot in the NFL playoffs, but with a 5-9 record and only three more weeks left in the 2024 regular season, New Orleans is going to need something close to a miracle to sneak into the postseason. They are currently third in the NFC South division, behind the 8-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the 7-7 Atlanta Falcons. Given the circumstances, the risk of aggravating Carr's injury for the extremely remote chance to make the playoffs just doesn't seem like a sensible move at the moment for the Saints.

Carr, who inked a four-year contract worth $150 million with the Saints in 2023, would finish his 2024 season with 2.145 passing yards and 15 touchdowns against five interceptions on a 67.7 percent completion rate if he does indeed not play another game this year.

The Saints will take on the Green Bay Packers on the road in Week 16 before their final home game of the season in Week 17 versus the Las Vegas Raiders. New Orleans' regular-season finale will be against the Buccaneers in Week 18.