Derek Carr Announces Retirement Due To Shoulder Injury

New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr has announced his retirement from the NFL after 11 seasons, citing a serious shoulder injury that would have jeopardized his ability to play in 2025 and potentially ended his career regardless.

The unexpected announcement came Saturday during the team’s rookie minicamp, immediately launching a quarterback competition among three young players vying to replace the 34-year-old veteran.

Injury Details Prompt Difficult Decision

According to a statement released by the Saints, Carr experienced pain in his right shoulder in late March during his first significant throwing session since recovering from injuries sustained last December. Medical scans revealed a labral tear and “significant degenerative changes to his rotator cuff,” according to the team’s official announcement.

Surgery was considered but would have sidelined Carr for the entire 2025 season with no guarantee he would return to his previous level of performance. After consulting with his wife Heather, medical experts, and team officials, Carr elected to end his career.

“Upon reflection of prayer, and in discussion with Heather, I’ve decided to retire from the National Football League,” Carr said in his statement. “For more than 11 years, we have been incredibly blessed, and we are forever grateful and humbled by this experience.”

Financial and Roster Implications

By retiring, Carr will forfeit the $30 million guaranteed base salary he was due this season, though he will retain the $10 million roster bonus already paid to him in March, according to Bleacher Report.

The decision provides significant salary cap relief for the Saints, who will see their available space increase from approximately $23 million to around $53 million. The timing also means most of the cap implications will be pushed to 2026 rather than affecting the team’s 2025 financial position.

Carr had just agreed to a revised contract with New Orleans in March that converted most of his 2025 salary into a signing bonus, seemingly locking him in as the starter for this season before the injury situation worsened.

Young Quarterbacks Now Competing for Starting Role

With Carr’s departure, the Saints’ quarterback room consists entirely of young players drafted within the past three years. Second-round rookie Tyler Shough from Louisville, second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler, and third-year player Jake Haener will now compete for the starting position.

“We are going to let all three of these guys roll and they’ve all earned these opportunities,” Saints head coach Kellen Moore told reporters. “We will let Jake, Spencer and Tyler all three kind of go through this process. Again, we will play patience and let these guys compete,” NFL.com reported.

Shough, selected 40th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, appears to be the early favorite according to ESPN reports, with team officials said to be “really high” on his potential.

Legacy of an 11-Year Career

Carr leaves the NFL having started 169 games with a 77-92 record as a starter. He completed 65.1% of his passes for 41,245 yards, 257 touchdowns and 112 interceptions during his career, making four Pro Bowl appearances.

Originally a second-round pick by the Raiders in 2014, Carr spent his first nine seasons with the franchise in both Oakland and Las Vegas before signing with New Orleans in 2023. His two-year stint with the Saints was marked by a 14-13 record as a starter, with injuries limiting him to 10 games in the 2024 season.

“Through it all, I gave this game everything I had every day. I sleep well knowing that I gave my teammates, my coaches and my cities my all,” Carr wrote in his farewell statement.