Derek Carr elected to end his NFL career last month, and the Saints officially processed his retirement on Tuesday. The veteran quarterback’s decision to hang up his cleats came about from his desire not to have shoulder surgery, a topic he recently addressed. 
“I wouldn’t have been able to play if I had the surgery,” Carr said during an interview with David Rumsey of Front Office Sports. “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.”
As part of the retirement decision, a financial arrangement was made between Carr and the Saints. The 34-year-old will keep his 2025 roster bonus (valued at $10MM) but he will forego the $30MM in guaranteed salary he was owed for the season. The Saints will move forward with an open competition including Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener and second-round rookie Tyler Shough under center. Carr’s post-2025 New Orleans future had been a talking point prior to his retirement anyway, but team and player have gone their separate ways early.
“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 added. “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.”
While Carr looked into his non-Saints options this spring prior to retiring, he has expressed contentment with his decision to hang up his cleats. The quarterback market has essentially been settled this offseason, with the Steelers representing the only team where the projected starter is not yet on the roster. Pittsburgh was not mentioned as a potential Carr landing spot, but a QB injury elsewhere could lead to speculation about an NFL return.
Instead, the former Raider confirmed in the interview that he plans to focus his attention on his post-playing days. Carr played a total of 11 seasons in the NFL, and it would come as a surprise if that total were to increase at any time.