When he first heard that Derek Carr had a shoulder injury, Drew Brees didn’t hesitate to reach out. Brees, after all, knew a thing or two about overcoming such an ailment. He offered to be a sounding board, and Carr made sure to reply. The two had formed a friendship over the last few years, shared by their bond of being the quarterback for the New Orleans Saints.
But less than a month later, Brees found out that the 34-year-old chose to retire from the NFL after 11 seasons. And, like practically everyone else, the former Saints great didn’t see Carr's decision coming.
“Obviously, a bit surprising, just being so early in his career,” Brees said.
Brees said Saturday that he thought Carr’s best football was ahead of him, pointing to his own experience of “entering your prime” in your early 30s. But Brees added that he understands if the severity of Carr’s injury factored into his choice, comparing it to Andrew Luck’s shocking retirement from 2019.
“Look, there’s life after football,” said Brees at the opening of Surge Entertainment, the former quarterback’s latest business venture in Metairie. “There’s that second chapter. … It seems like (Carr and his family) really put down roots in Vegas. I know he’s got aspirations to perhaps build a school, a church, pastor that. He’s obviously very involved in the church, his community.
“So at times, you just feel called to do other things. And football was that unique chapter in your life, but there’s so much more after football. It seemed like he was ready to take that next step.”
Instead, with Carr no longer playing for the Saints, Brees weighed in on the Saints’ quarterback situation. He praised rookie Tyler Shough, but made clear he’s looking forward to seeing a competition unfold for the starting job.
Brees called the Saints’ forthcoming battle “pretty unprecedented.” And that’s not an exaggeration for a franchise that has not started a rookie quarterback to open the season since 1971.
Between Shough, second-year passer Spencer Rattler and third-year signal-caller Jake Haener, the Saints don’t have a quarterback on the roster who has won an NFL game as a starter.
“(Coach) Kellen Moore has proven to be a great developer of quarterbacks where he’s been over the last six years,” Brees said. “I think we all really respect the system and his way of coaching and developing. I’m sure he’s excited to mold these young guys. I’m really excited to see what this offense looks like.”
As for Shough, Brees said he likes what he has seen. Brees admitted he hasn’t done a deep dive of the quarterback’s college film, but said his experience with coach Jeff Brohm at Louisville and his history of overcoming adversity were “impressive.”
Shough played for three different schools (Oregon, Texas Tech and Louisville) and dealt with three season-ending injuries before having a standout year that led the Saints to draft him with the 40th overall pick.
“Honestly, (there’s) a lot of similarities to Taysom Hill,” Brees said, referring to his former teammate who is still with the Saints.. “Taysom Hill is one of these guys coming out of college who spent four or five years in college and had some major injuries. But man, whenever he played, he played really, really well. … Look, we’ll see how this thing shakes out.
“I’m not giving anybody the job right now. I know we went out and drafted Tyler Shough in the second round, but I’m sure Haener and Rattler have something to say about that. Competitions bring out the best in everybody.”
Brees also has seen the way Shough appears to be integrating into New Orleans. The rookie’s first meal in the city was at Dragos and he already got a flat tire when driving over a pothole.
“It’s extremely important (to get to know the city),” Brees said, “especially if you plan on being here for a long time. I think it’s a must. Look, I think from everything I’ve seen, he’s doing everything the right way.
“And now, for him, he’s got his sight set on being the starting quarterback on this team — just like the other two guys are.”