“For more than 11 years, we have been incredibly blessed, and we are forever grateful and humbled by this experience,” Derek Carr said in announcing his retirement. (Adam Hunger/AP)
New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr, plagued by a shoulder injury that threatened his playing status for the 2025 season and perhaps beyond, announced his retirement Saturday after 11 NFL seasons.
Carr, 34, was a four-time Pro Bowl selection over nine seasons with the Raiders, in both Oakland and Las Vegas, before spending the last two seasons with the Saints.
“Upon reflection of prayer, and in discussion with [his wife] Heather, I’ve decided to retire from the National Football League,” Carr said in a statement released by the Saints. “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 Sports Moment newsletter
(The Washington Post)
Reporter Ava Wallace takes you through the buzziest, most engaging sports stories of the week. Sign up for the weekly newsletter
End of carousel
Carr’s injury was detected earlier this offseason. The Saints said Saturday that Carr was “ramping up his preparation for the 2025 season” in late March when he experienced pain in his right shoulder and contacted the team’s medical staff. The team added that the shoulder injury became evident while Carr was going through “his first time throwing a football at significant volume” since suffering a concussion and an injury to his left hand during a road win over the New York Giants on Dec. 8, keeping him out for the season.
Medical scans showed that Carr had suffered a tear of his labrum and had “significant degenerative changes to his rotator cuff,” according to the team.
“Since that time, Derek, his representation, the Saints Medical Team and outside medical experts have worked together to determine the best path forward,” the Saints said. “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.”
Derek Carr has announced his retirement.
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… pic.twitter.com/SrcJEzDDnU
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) May 10, 2025
Carr threw for 41,245 yards and 257 touchdowns in his 11-year career, including for 2,145 yards and 15 touchdowns in 10 games last season.
Carr agreed to a revised contract with the Saints in March to seemingly ensure that he would remain with the team at least through the ’25 season. The reworking cleared nearly $31 million in salary cap space for next season for the team, which faced a cap crunch at the time.
During a news conference before last month’s NFL draft, Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis acknowledged that Carr was dealing with a shoulder issue but said the team lacked “clarity” on the injury at that point.
The Saints selected Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough in the second round of the draft, with the40th overall pick. He was the third quarterback chosen, following first-rounders Cam Ward by the Tennessee Titans and Jaxson Dart by the Giants.
The Saints have Shough and fellow quarterbacks Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener on their roster. It’s not clear if they will seek to add a veteran capable of vying for their starting job.
Aaron Rodgers remains a free agent after being released in March by the New York Jets. The four-time league MVP visited the Pittsburgh Steelers but has not signed a contract with them to this point. He said during an appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show” before the draft that he was keeping all options open, including retirement. He confirmed then that he’d spoken to the Steelers, Giants and Minnesota Vikings, but did not mention the Saints.
The Atlanta Falcons perhaps could trade Kirk Cousins after benching him late last season in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr. But such a deal would require the Falcons to send a potential starting quarterback to a division rival. Cousins, who has a no-trade clause in his contract, reportedly has expressed an interest in being sent to a team for which he would have an opportunity to start.
The Saints are coming off a 5-12 record and have not made the playoffs since the 2020 season. They hired Kellen Moore as their coach in February, waiting until after the Super Bowl to be able to get the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive coordinator after firing Dennis Allen as their coach nine games into last season.