In one of his most in-depth interviews since he made the shocking decision to retire from the NFL last month, former Las Vegas Raiders and New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr talked about how he was able to walk away from another large payday with Front Office Sports’ David Rumsey.
“That part was tough because I didn’t want to have surgery and just sit there and – it sounds crazy but – just take the Saints money,” Carr said.
Carr, who had signed a four-year, $150 million contract with the Saints in 2023, was scheduled to make a $30 million salary this season. Instead of accepting that money, he let his $10 million roster bonus kick in in March and retired two months later.
Derek Carr shocked the NFL world by retiring last month and giving up $30 million.
After battling injury, Carr tells FOS he made the decision out of respect for the Saints and himself. pic.twitter.com/mraA3E2pV9
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) June 4, 2025
“I never played just for the money,” he said. “I had a whole bunch of people tell me how crazy I was, and ‘Man, I would never have done that.’ That’s all cool, but I’ve gained all these things that the world has to offer, and it doesn’t really do anything for your heart. I knew my heart was at peace, and that’s really all that mattered.”
Last season, Carr suffered a shoulder injury that put his future in the NFL in question. Though he had the whole off-season to recover, he once again began to experience pain in his shoulder as he began to prepare for the 2025-26 campaign. After finding out he would’ve needed season-ending surgery, his decision became much easier.
“I wouldn’t have been able to play if I had the surgery,” Carr said. “And then, if I tried to play with it, I wasn’t near 100%, and so that doesn’t help them, either. I just felt like it was the right thing to do for myself and for the team.”
It’s hard to argue that Carr’s career wasn’t cut short, considering some quarterbacks play into their late 30s or early 40s nowadays. Even his agent was sending out feelers to see if Carr would ever consider getting back on the field, but it sounds like the four-time Pro Bowler is happy with his decision.
“My agent literally texted me a few days ago and he said, ‘Hey, just checking it in. How’s everything? You still feel comfortable with the decision?’ And I sent him a picture of me on the beach with my two kids playing. And I said, ‘This beats an OTA any day.’ And he said, ‘Yeah, I thought so,’” Carr explained. “So, I’m doing great and have thoroughly enjoyed being home.”
Saints officially process Derek Carr’s retirement papers https://t.co/J79wyTfBT6 pic.twitter.com/4ZBxWMvWLZ
— TheSaintsWire (@TheSaintsWire) June 3, 2025
As for what the future holds, that’s still unclear. Carr could stay out of the limelight. Then again, it’s possible he could follow the path his brother David took and become an analyst.
“Would I do something? Absolutely, because it’s just easy to talk about for me,” he explained. But, Derek Carr said, if anything, he could “more see myself doing it at the college level.”
“I knew off the field, business-wise, I was always going to do things,” Carr concluded. “Because I can’t not do anything.”
