Saints' Moore won't commit to Carr as Week 1 starter

New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore wouldn't commit to quarterback Derek Carr as his 2025 Week 1 starter at his introductory press conference Thursday.

"Derek's a tremendous quarterback in this league. … He's a starter in this league. He's a premier player in this league. … Really excited to team up with him and go through this process," Moore said.

Carr was the Saints' primary starting quarterback the previous two seasons. He signed a four-year, $150-million deal in 2023 after being released by the Las Vegas Raiders.

The 33-year-old went 5-5 in 10 starts last season, throwing for 2,145 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. He ranked 14th in EPA/play and 26th in success rate among 34 signal-callers who played at least 315 snaps, according to Ben Baldwin's database.

The Saints' offense got off to a hot start in 2024, totaling 91 points combined in the first two games. However, New Orleans finished the season ranking 24th in points per contest.

Carr is scheduled to have a $51.4-million cap hit in 2025 and a $61.4-million hit in 2026, according to Over The Cap. The Saints can free $30 million in space if they designate Carr as a post-June-1 release but will carry a $50-million cap penalty until June 2. They are currently $54 million over the salary cap and have to get cap-compliant before the start of the new league year.

Moore said the Saints' salary-cap restraints weren't an issue when taking the job.

"Certainly, the opportunity to go through the interview process allows us to have those conversations. Quickly again, it's evident - the leadership here is tremendous. They are the best in the business from the business side of this operation, and we feel very comfortable with where we're going," Moore said.

Moore also said he will be the offensive play-caller for 2025, per Nick Underhill of NOF. The 36-year-old was the Philadelphia Eagles' offensive coordinator and play-caller last year and helped them win the Super Bowl.