New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr has retired from the NFL after 11 seasons.
Carr has called time on his career because of a shoulder injury discovered while recovering from a left hand injury that ended his 2024 season.
That injury was revealed to be a labral tear along with “degenerative changes” to his rotator cuff.
With no ideal path forward to get back to his best on the field, the 34-year-old has instead decided to walk away. The Saints may now have to turn to rookie Tyler Shough in their first season under new head coach Kellen Moore.
New Orleans selected Shough out of Louisville in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft last month. The Saints also have 2024 fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler and 2023 fourth-round pick Jake Haener on the roster. Both started games in Carr’s absence late last season.
A statement from the Saints read: “In late March, while ramping up his preparation for the 2025 season, Derek experienced pain in his right shoulder.
“It was his first time throwing a football at significant volume since recovering from both a concussion and left hand injury sustained during play on December 8, 2024.
“Derek immediately contacted the Saints Medical Team. Eventually, medical scans determined objectively that Derek sustained a labral tear and also had significant degenerative changes to his rotator cuff.
“Since that time, Derek, his representation, the Saints Medical Team and outside medical experts have worked together to determine the best path forward.
Statement from Derek Carr: pic.twitter.com/31tDccwRuI
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) May 10, 2025
“Surgery was an option, jeopardizing the entire 2025 season, yet there was no guarantee Derek would return to the level of strength, function and performance of play to which he was accustomed. Upon consultation with his wife, Heather, Derek has decided it is in the best interests of both his family and the Saints organization to retire from the National Football League.”
Carr said: “Upon reflection of prayer, and in discussion with Heather, I’ve decided to retire from the National Football League.
“For more than 11 years, we have been incredibly blessed, and we are forever grateful and humbled by this experience. It’s difficult to find the right words to express our thanks to all the teammates, coaches, management, ownership, team officials and especially the fans who made this journey so special. Your unwavering support has meant the world to us.”
Carr spent the bulk of his career with the Raiders, having been drafted in the second round in 2014 when the franchise was in Oakland. Following the franchise’s departure from the Bay Area at the end of the 2019 season, Carr played three seasons with the team in Las Vegas before he was released in 2023.
He subsequently signed with the Saints on a four-year, $150 million contract and helped New Orleans to a 9-8 record in 2023. The Saints went 5-5 with Carr at quarterback in 2024, his final game of his career coming in a win over the New York Giants in December.
Carr went 77-92 as a starter, throwing for 41,245 passing yards, 257 touchdowns and 112 interceptions in his career. He played in just one playoff game, a Raiders loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card round in the 2021 season.
