Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr, who retired in May due to injury and forfeited $30 million in salary for next season, has no regrets about leaving money on the table.
Carr, 34, retired May 10 after the Saints medical staff determined he had a labral tear and “significant” degenerative damage to his rotator cuff, according to a Saints news release. The four-time NFL Pro Bowler was sidelined the final four games of the 2024 season after he sustained a concussion and left hand injury on December 8. In March, he attempted to throw a football during an offseason workout, but experienced pain in his right shoulder.
By retiring, Carr forfeited $30 million in fully guaranteed base salary for the 2025 season, which he could have earned by opting for surgery and spending the 2025 season on the Saints’ injured reserve list. Carr played two seasons for the Saints after signing a four-year, $150 million contract in March 2023.
“That part was tough because I didn’t want to have surgery and just sit there and — it sounds crazy but — just take the Saints money,” Carr told Front Office Sports in an interview published Wednesday. “I wouldn’t have been able to play if I had the surgery. And then if I tried to play with it, I wasn’t near 100%, and so that doesn’t help them, either. I just felt like it was the right thing to do for myself and for the team.”
The Saints allowed Carr to keep a $10 million roster bonus he earned in March, according to Pro Football Talk. In addition, the Saints will not seek to recover the remainder of his $28.5 million signing bonus.
Carr earned more than $195 million during his 11-year NFL career, according to Spotrac.
“I never played just for the money,” Carr told FOS. “I had a whole bunch of people tell me how crazy I was, and ‘Man, I would never have done that.’ That’s all cool, but I’ve gained all these things that the world has to offer, and it doesn’t really do anything for your heart. I knew my heart was at peace, and that’s really all that mattered.”
The former Fresno State standout played his first nine NFL seasons for the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders, which drafted him in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He earned three consecutive Pro Bowl selections with the Raiders from 2015-17 and another in 2022, his final season with the Raiders before signing with the Saints.
For his career, Carr retires from the NFL with 41,245 passing yards, a 65.1 completion percentage, 257 touchdowns and 112 interceptions in 169 games, including a 77-92 record as starter.
“‘Thank you’ doesn’t say enough,” Carr wrote in an Instagram post announcing his retirement. “To my incredible family and friends thank you for your love and support. To the Raiders and Saints organizations, Mr. Davis and Mrs. Benson thank you for giving me the opportunity to live out a childhood dream. To every coach who shaped me, every teammate I went to battle with, and every opponent who pushed me I’m grateful for the grind, the memories, and the brotherhood.
“To the fans thank you for riding with me through the highs, the lows, the injuries, the comebacks, the records, and the Pro Bowls. Through it all, I gave this game everything I had every single day. I sleep well knowing that I gave my teammates, my coaches, and my cities my all. Now, I look forward to whatever God has next and I’ll pursue it with the same fire I brought to the field. God bless, and see you soon,” he added.