New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr is retiring from the NFL after 11 seasons due to a right shoulder injury.
The Saints said Saturday that Carr had a labral tear and degenerative rotator cuff damage to his right throwing shoulder.
Carr, 34, had been experiencing discomfort in his shoulder since sustaining a left hand injury during a game against the New York Giants on Dec. 8.
“Upon reflection of prayer, and in discussion with (wife) Heather, I’ve decided to retire from the National Football League,” Carr said. “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.”
The Saints, in their statement, said Carr made the decision after consulting with medical experts.
“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,” the team said.
The Saints selected quarterback Tyler Shough in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft last month. They also have 2024 fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler and 2023 fourth-round selection Jake Haener on the roster.
Carr was 14-13 as the starter in New Orleans over two seasons, although he was limited to 10 games in 2024 due to injuries.
A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Carr has thrown for 41,245 yards and 257 touchdowns against 112 interceptions for the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders (2014-22) and Saints. He was selected by the Raiders in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Fresno State.
The Saints will look at all three of their in-house candidates in the search for a starter in coach Kellen Moore’s first season at the helm.
“We’re going to let all three of these guys roll and they’ve all earned these opportunities. We’ll let Jake, Spencer and Tyler, all three, go through this process,” Moore told reporters on Saturday. “Again, we’ll play patience, let these guys compete, let them get into training camp and naturally these (competitions will) take care of itself.”
Shough said he learned of Carr’s retirement from Moore shortly before Saturday’s morning practice.
“I think that’s all you can ask for is an opportunity at any position and I’m going to treat it the same way, as if, whoever was on the roster, I’ve got to continue to grow and get better and do my best to elevate the quarterback room,” Shough said.
Rattler started six of seven games played for the Saints last season and passed for 1,317 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions. Haener played in eight games (one start) last season and threw for 226 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
–Field Level Media
