Derek Carr Further Explains Retirement Decision From New Orleans Saints originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
We can now officially say ‘former’ New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr. After surprisingly announcing his retirement in early May after 11 NFL seasons and 2 with New Orleans, Carr’s retirement became official on June 2.
Carr’s retirement also caused him to pass up $30 million in guaranteed money, thereby also opening up cap space for New Orleans. Mostly silent since his announcement, Carr recently opened up about the situation that led to his decision.
David Rumsey of Front Office Sports interviewed Carr earlier this week. In doing so, the 34-year-old former quarterback tried to shed some enlightenment into his decision to step away.
”That part was tough (leaving behind the money) because I didn’t want to have surgery and just sit there and—it sounds crazy but—just take the Saints money. I wouldn’t have been able to play if I had the surgery,” Carr said. “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.
I never played just for the money. 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.”
Shortly after the Saints and Carr agreed to a restructured contract for the 2025 season, news broke that Carr had an injury to the AC joint in his right (throwing) shoulder that would require surgery. The surgery would have likely caused him to miss the 2025-26 season.
There have been conflicting reports about when Carr injured his shoulder. Some reports claim that he’s been dealing with the issue since leaving a loss to the Green Bay Packers early in the 2023 campaign. Carr has insisted that he injured it last last season against the New York Giants. In that Week 14 game, Carr also suffered a broken wrist that would end his season.
It would also mark the end of Derek Carr’s Saints career, as it turned out.
Interestingly, there were several confirmed reports that Carr and his representatives reached out to other NFL teams to guage their interest in the quarterback for this upcoming season. It wasn’t until after those attempts resulted in no interest that Carr announced his retirement.
David Rumsey of Front Office Sports also asked Carr if was regretting his retirement decision.
”My agent literally texted me a few days ago and he said, ‘Hey, just checking it in. How’s everything? You still feel comfortable with the decision?’ And I sent him a picture of me on the beach with my two kids playing. And I said, ‘This beats an OTA any day.’ And he said, ‘Yeah, I thought so,’” Carr said. “So, I’m doing great and have thoroughly enjoyed being home.”
Derek Carr entered the NFL as a second round choice in the 2014 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders out of Fresno State. He was with the Raiders for nine seasons before his release, then joining the New Orleans Saints.
Carr had a 65.1% career completion percentage with 41,245 passing yards, 257 touchdowns, and 112 interceptions over his 11 seasons. In two years and 27 starts with the Saints, Carr completed 68.2% of his throws for 6,023 yards and 40 touchdowns with 13 interceptions.
Whether you believe Carr’s reasoning for retirement is irrelevant. He is no longer with the Saints and saved the franchise several million dollars in leaving. New Orleans drafted Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough in Round 2 of this year’s draft and had already appeared content in moving on from the Derek Carr saga.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
