Ex-Eagles scout casts doubts over severity of Derek Carr’s injury 

NFL analyst John Middlekauff is unsure whether Derek Carr's injury news is completely accurate.

NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported that there is a legitimate chance that the Saints QB could miss the entirety of the 2025 campaign due to a shoulder injury.

However, Middlekauff noted that there are many instances of NFL franchises releasing information in order for players to drop to them in the NFL draft and that the Carr news might be along those lines.

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"I wonder if this is a classic week or two before the draft, you're trying to get some information out there so someone jumps you right," he said on the 'Colin Cowherd Podcast' on Sunday. "So, players fall to you… The other thing is they kept him on the roster when they could have cut him for $40 million, you would think they would had a pretty good idea of the health status."

Middlekauff then highlighted how fans and analysts should not fully believe all of the information they hear this close to draft day.

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"I just think a lot of times the two weeks before the draft, you just got to be very careful with the shenanigans going on, on stories being leaked... The Derek Carr thing felt a little like a draft story being thrown out there to try to get people to manipulate spots."

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Saints eyeing long-term replacement for Derek Carr after injury-plagued season

Carr missed seven games in the 2024 season due to injuries. He was ruled out of the season after breaking bones in his non-throwing hand in the Week 14 win against the New York Giants.

He has two years remaining on his contract, but the Saints could look to the future and select a quarterback in the draft. New Orleans holds the No. 9 pick and reports suggest it is eyeing Colorado's Shedeur Sanders.

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