The Saints have announced the sudden retirement of veteran quarterback Derek Carr due to a shoulder injury.
Reports of Carr’s injury emerged in early April, though its exact nature and impact on the 2025 season were initially unclear. Scans later revealed that Carr suffered a torn labrum with “significant degenerative changes to his rotator cuff,” according to the team’s statement. The 34-year-old quarterback tried an injection and rehab, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, but opted against surgery that would likely sideline him for the 2025 season with no guarantee of a full recovery.
All eyes will now turn to the Saints’ quarterback situation under first-year head coach Kellen Moore. The team was already preparing for the possibility of Carr missing most or all of this season by using a second-round pick on Louisville QB Tyler Shough in last month’s draft. Shough was considered to be one of the most pro-ready passers in this year’s class and will have a chance to start as a rookie in New Orleans. His primary competition will be 2023 fourth-rounder Jake Haener and 2024 fifth-rounder Spencer Rattler, both of whom stepped in for Carr during his absence last season.
Carr’s retirement also comes with a complicated financial compromise. The 2025 compensation in his original contract included a $10MM roster bonus and a base salary of $30MM guaranteed for injury, per OverTheCap. The roster bonus became fully-guaranteed offseason and triggered this past March, when his salary was also set to upgrade into a full guarantee. The Saints restructured his contract in March instead, converting the roster bonus and salary into a signing bonus to reduce his 2025 cap hit.
Now, that restructure seems to be reversed. Carr will keep the roster bonus, but the Saints will not be responsible for his salary in cash or cap space, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. The team will also process his retirement after June 1 to spread the remaining dead money across two years. Essentially, Carr is forgoing $30MM that he would otherwise be owed whether he retired or underwent surgery and spent the season on the sidelines.
Carr was just two seasons into a four-year, $150MM contract signed in 2023. He went 9-8 in his debut season in New Orleans, but missed seven games in 2024 and finished with a 5-5 record as a starter. His financial agreement with the Saints will result in $70MM paid out for two years and 27 starts.
The Saints’ announcement also included a statement from Carr:
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 is retiring after 11 years in the NFL. He began his career with the Raiders as a second-round pick out of Fresno State and left as the franchise leader in passing yards. He was named to four Pro Bowls in his career and his passing totals rank just outside the top 20 quarterbacks in most categories.