In an unexpected move, football star Derek Carr announced his retirement today after an unprecedented 11-season stretch on the NFL all-star roster. The Oakland Raiders introduced Carr in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He soon established himself as a franchise cornerstone and enjoyed nine productive years with the Bucs before parlaying that success into a four-year, $80 million deal with the New Orleans Saints during the 2023 free agency frenzy.
Carr’s recent decision to retire particularly stands out against the backdrop of a brutal offseason. In late March, after an important long tossing test workout, he felt excruciating pain in his throwing (right) shoulder. This injury led to concerns as to whether he could ever get back to full bore. Now the prospect of surgery hangs over him, endangering his 2025 season and undercutting his opportunity to get back to where he was before, bursting with strength. After much deliberation and with the advice of his wife, Heather, Carr chose to retire from the sport.
Carr signed with the Saints over the offseason, and thus far has played in 169 games as a starter for both teams combined. He finished his career with a 65.1% completions percentage, throwing for 41,245 yards with 257 touchdowns and 112 interceptions. His tenure ended with a 77-92 record.
Despite retiring, Carr’s financial implications are notable. His $30 million base salary for this year will evaporate. Still, he will preserve his $10 million roster bonus for the ’25 season. His departure clears the way for a competitive quarterback battle among Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler, and Jake Haener within the Saints organization.
Carr had a close relationship with Dennis Allen, who first coached him when he was with the Raiders. The two were reunited in 2023 when Allen became head coach of the Saints. Later, when reflecting on what Carr brought to the team and hearing about Carr’s highest moments, Allen couldn’t hide his feelings.
“I mean, what a great individual. I was there when we drafted him in Oakland, had a chance to coach him again as he matured there in New Orleans. I love Derek Carr. … He did a lot of good things and was always somebody that was pleasant to be around in the building.” – Dennis Allen
As Carr enters this new chapter of retirement, he is excited about the possibilities.
“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,” – Derek Carr
“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.” – Derek Carr
The onus now falls on Sean Payton and the Saints coaching staff to hold an effective quarterback competition with their remaining players. True, but offensive coordinator Kellen Moore was adamant about giving every single one of these three quarterbacks an opportunity to earn the job.
“We’re going to let all three of these guys roll, and they’ve all earned these opportunities,” – Kellen Moore
Moore further alluded to this by saying that there’ll need to be patience shown as players battle it out for the starting job.
“I’ll let Jake, Spencer and Tyler, all three, go through this process. Again, we’ll play patience, let these guys compete, let them get into training camp and naturally these [competitions will] take care of itself,” – Kellen Moore
Tyler Shough expressed his eagerness to embrace the challenge ahead.
“I think that’s all you can ask for is an opportunity at any position, and I’m going to treat it the same way as if whoever was on the roster, I’ve got to continue to grow and get better and do my best to elevate the quarterback room,” – Tyler Shough
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