New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr shocked the NFL world on Saturday when he announced his retirement at the age of just 34.
The four-time Pro Bowler had been working his way back from a concussion and left hand injury suffered in a Week 14 win over the New York Giants that ended his season, but he suffered a shoulder injury in the process that threatened to sideline him for the entire 2025 season.
Instead of sitting out for almost two full years, Carr decided to call it a career.
“Upon reflection of prayer, and in discussion with Heather, I've decided to retire from the National Football League,” Carr said in a statement. “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.”
New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) walks off the field after field after an injury during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium.
New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) walks off the field after field after an injury during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium.
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
While many across the league were congratulating Carr on his career and wishing him well in retirement, a video of his final play in the NFL started going viral on social media.
The video, which was posted by X user @tracegirouard48, garnered 1.4 million views and had more than 220 comments, showed the play that injured Carr back on Dec. 8 when he attempted to dive for a first down near the right sideline and ended up leaping into teammate Kevin Austin Jr.
After going airborne, Carr fell to the turf face-first, resulting in the concussion, and he broke his fall with his left wrist, resulting in the season-ending hand injury.
And while some comments on the post were negatively pointing out the recklessness of the play, many others were actually applauding Carr for leaving everything he had on the field.
“He went out on some G [expletive] diving for that first ð«¡,” one fan wrote.
“You don’t see many quarterbacks (or ANY players at all anymore) put themselves at risk like this to win. This is what you call a true competitor. That’s what makes a champion,” another added.
“Definition of giving everything he got. Straight dawg,” one user remarked.
“One thing about Carr is you can never say he doesn’t care. He played every snap like it was his last. Respect to a great football player,” exclaimed another user.
Though Carr was highly criticized at times during his 11 years in the NFL, few can deny he put forth a solid career — one that included four Pro Bowls, a third-place finish in MVP voting in 2016, plus four 4,000-yard seasons, one 30-touchdown season, and three seasons with a passer rating of 100 or better.