As it turns out, the New Orleans Saints giving quarterback Derek Carr a two-year contract worth $120 million was a very bad idea. Ian Rapoport reported Friday afternoon that the Saints’ starting quarterback suffered a shoulder injury that could keep him out for the 2025 season. New Orleans has a new head coach in Kellen Moore, and the latest injury news could push the Saints into drafting a quarterback high in the 2025 draft.

That would be excellent news for the San Francisco 49ers. After an offseason that saw several key contributors over the last few seasons leave for other teams, the 49ers have a plethora of holes all along the roster. New Orleans is in that same boat. It’s not hard to see that the Saints could have poached a player with the ninth overall pick that the 49ers were hoping would fall to them with the 12th overall selection. San Fran may not have to worry about that anymore.

Whether it’s a cornerback, edge rusher, or offensive linemen, the 49ers have plenty of needs along the roster that must be addressed if they want to get back to being a Super Bowl contender. Having a relatively high pick after a disaster of a 6-11 season might be the perfect remedy for that.

In order for that to happen, though, teams picking above them need to pass on some of the top players in the country like cornerback Will Johnson and many others. Should that happen, the 49ers will be in great shape. It goes without saying the more quarterbacks taken inside the top-12 certainly helps as well.