NFL exec hints Derek Carr may have blown up Kellen Moore’s plan

To be a good head coach in the NFL is to be adaptable. Kellen Moore is learning that early in his tenure as the New Orleans Saints’ head coach. When Moore joined the Saints, the expectation was that Derek Carr was going to be QB1 for the team. However, not long after taking the job, news broke that Carr was dealing with a shoulder injury. Not long after that, the veteran quarterback made the surprising decision to retire.

In a recent ESPN piece, Jeremy Fowler and Katherine Terrell did some digging into Carr’s sudden retirement. The reporters found out that Carr wasn’t on the best of terms with the Saints this offseason, and he even had a representative gauge a couple of other teams’ possible interest. Despite all of this, Moore was reportedly committed to starting his head-coaching career with Derek Carr as his starting quarterback.

"An AFC executive believes Moore had every intention of casting his lot with Carr, at least in 2025.

"A lot of the guys that interviewed [for the New Orleans head coaching job] thought they would have Derek," the exec said. "That was part of the appeal -- the [Saints] offense and what it was when healthy.""

Jeremy Fowler and Katherine Terrell

Kellen Moore was planning to have Derek Carr in 2025

Fowler and Terrell made it clear that Moore wasn’t expecting to enter a long-term partnership with Carr, he knew the quarterback’s time in New Orleans was coming to an end sooner rather than later. The first-time head coach just didn’t expect that it would be before he coached his first game. Moore knew he’d have to develop a young quarterback, and that likely appealed to him. Having a veteran QB to help get things started, though, was also appealing.

However, that’s not the case, and Moore has to navigate that reality. It’s an unfortunate situation that he only inherited, but as the head coach he has to answer all of the questions. He also has to prepare his three young quarterbacks to help the team win in 2025.