AP sources: Derek Carr will visit the Saints on Wednesday

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr will travel to the New Orleans Saints on Wednesday, two people with knowledge of the situation announced Tuesday.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to comment publicly. One person described the visit as “exploratory in nature”.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport was the first to report Carr’s trip.

Saints coach Dennis Allen was the Raiders’ coach when the club selected Carr in the second round of the 2014 draft at Fresno State. Allen coached Carr for just four games before being fired that year.

If the Saints and Raiders agree to a deal, they have until Feb. 15 to work out the details. That’s when Carr’s contract will become guaranteed and he’ll owe $40.4 million over the next two years.

The Raiders could release Carr if no trade deal is reached, which would make him a free agent. New Orleans or another team could wait to see if that happens and try to lure Carr, who turns 32 on March 28, into the open market.

Even if a trade deal is reached before the deadline, a team could return as no deal can become official until March 15. Carr said last week he would not extend the deadline to facilitate a trade, and said he was happy with the opportunity to become a free agent.

“I’m just looking for teams that have made this decision consistently that they’ll do whatever it takes to put together a winning program,” Carr said then. “So for me, it’s just to win, to win a championship. It’s in the forefront of the mind. It’s not money.

Carr played nine seasons for the Raiders and holds team records for passing yards (35,222) and touchdown passes (217). But he never won a playoff game. And after struggling late in the season, Carr was benched with two games left.

Jameis Winston is under contract with the Saints until 2023, but New Orleans is expected to release him. His contract calls for a base salary of $12.8 million next season and he only played three games in 2022 before losing his job – partly due to a back injury – to Andy Dalton.

Winston, who was injured in Week 1, tried to keep playing in Weeks 2 and 3, when he threw five interceptions and was sacked seven times while passing for just two touchdowns.

When Winston said he was healthy enough to play again and wanted another chance, the Saints stuck with Dalton, who completed 66.7% of his passes for 2,871 yards with 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions. in 14 starts.

Dalton, 35 and a 12-year NFL veteran, is expected to be a free agent this offseason.

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