New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr has fractured his non-throwing hand and is expected to miss several weeks, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.
Carr was injured in the fourth quarter of the Saints’ 14-11 win over the New York Giants on Sunday. After diving for a first down, he collided with a teammate and then tried to brace his fall with his left hand.
New Orleans has just four games left on its schedule, meaning Carr faces missing the remainder of the season.
Saints head coach Darren Rizzi, however, pushed back on that information during his press conference on Monday.
“I’ve seen some reports before, a little bit false,” Rizzi said. “As things currently stand, I don’t believe it will be a [injured reserve] situation.”
He later added: “It appears at the moment to be non-surgical. If it were surgical, we would have a different conversation, which is why it will remain daily.
More Sports
The New Orleans coach also said Carr was in the concussion protocol.
Sunday’s game was the second time this year that Carr had to leave early due to injury. He also injured his oblique in a Week 5 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, causing him to miss the team’s next three games.
In 10 games so far this season, Carr has totaled 2,145 yards, with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. His passer rating of 101.0 is his best mark since the 2020 season, when Carr played for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Although backup Jake Haener replaced Carr in the two games he left early, rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler started all three games Carr missed. In those three games, Rattler totaled 571 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions.
After the win against the Giants, the Saints improved to 5-8. New Orleans is 5-5 when Carr starts this season and 0-3 with Rattler.
Rizzi, meanwhile, became interim head coach on November 4 and since then the Saints have gone 3-1. New Orleans fired Dennis Allen after Week 9 following a seven-game losing streak.
Carr, a second-round pick of the Raiders in 2014, is in his second season with the Saints. New Orleans signed Carr to a four-year, $150 million contract, with $100 million guaranteed in March 2023.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
