Ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, news broke that New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr was dealing with a shoulder injury that put his status for the upcoming season in jeopardy.
Derek Carr retiring from NFL due to shoulder injury
Saints QB Derek Carr is retiring from the NFL due to a shoulder injury
Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images
Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.
Now, after trying both an injection and physical rehabilitation, Carr has decided to retire, according to multiple reports.
Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network was first with the news, outlining that after Carr tried both a round of rehab as well as an injection, doctors informed him he would not be 100% until “another procedure:”
As noted by Rapoport in a subsequent post on social media, both Carr and the Saints gain financially from this decision. While retirement means Carr foregoes the $30 million guaranteed he is due this year, the Saints will not seek reimbursement of Carr’s $10 million roster bonus and signing bonus.
In a statement shared by the team, the Saints opened up on the injury Carr was dealing with. According to the Saints Carr experienced pain in his right shoulder when he started throwing again in March, and tests “determined objectively that Derek sustained a labral tear and also had significant degenerative changes to his rotator cuff.”
While surgery was an “option,” doctors told Carr that “there was no guarantee Derek would return to the level of strength, function and performance of play to which he was accustomed.”
The post on social media also included a statement from the quarterback himself.
“Upon reflection of prayer, and in discussion with [my wife] Heather, I’ve decided to retire from the National Football League,” said Carr. “For more than 11 years, we have been incredibly blessed, and we are forever grateful and humbled by this experience. It’s difficult to find the right words to express our thanks to all the teammates, coaches, management, ownership, team officials and especially the fans who made this journey so special. Your unwavering support has meant the world to us.”
The word that Carr’s status for the 2025 season was in jeopardy sparked further speculation that the Saints would draft a quarterback with the No. 9 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, New Orleans went in a different direction, adding offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. in that spot instead.
Rather than adding a quarterback in the first round, New Orleans waited until the second round, drafting quarterback Tyler Shough out of Louisville at No. 40.
Now Shough is in line to compete for the starting job in New Orleans.
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