Saints QB Derek Carr retires in the shoulder injury

After 11 years, Derek Carr says goodbye to the NFL.

Mike Garafolo from NFL Network reported that Carr's decision was made when he continues to deal with a continuing shoulder problem. Carr has been subjected to several medical reviews in the past few weeks, and an operation was considered the only route to bring his shoulder back to 100 percent, a process that could take up to six months to recover.

“Finally, medical scans objectively found that Derek suffered a Labralriss and also had significant degenerative changes to his rotator cuff,” said the saints in a explanation.

The 34-year-old decided to retire instead of missing the entire 2025 season for injured reserve.

“It is difficult to find the right words to express our thanks … Your unshakable support means the world,” added Carr in his statement. “

The four-time Pro-Bowler was a member of the New Orleans Saints in the last two seasons after signing a four-year contract with four years before the 2023 campaign. Carr has been 14-13 since then and has a 5-5 season in the Big Easy, seven games, the last four in a row.

In 2024 he threw 2,145 yards for 15 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Carr's edition of the upper body dates from his first year in New Orleans when he injured the alternating current joint in his shoulder during this campaign. Although it didn't miss him at the time, it failed long enough, since General Manager Mickey Loomis was even confused about the situation.

“We hope that we will receive a solution and clarity about it in the near future,” said Loomis in April. “And if we do it, I'll tell you to you. Otherwise I have nothing more than Derek.”

The situation was so uncertain that the Saints GM even decided to prevent a question of who will be the team's starter this coming season, and said: “I will not answer that, because this will only lead to a series of speculations, depending on how I answer it.”

In the meantime, the earlier election of the second round in 2014 (36th) did not silence during this process.

“I hate that I have to say that, but I have to say the following: Yes, I have a shoulder injury,” said Carr, when I delivered a guest sermon in a church in Las Vegas last week.

“I have an MRI report to prove this,” continued Carr. “The team knows about it. We were in constant communication.

Oddly enough, the injury reports of the saints mentioned no problems with Carrs shoulder last season, instead his absence of seven games was attributed to slanted and wrist injuries. Jane Slater from NFL Network reported that his shoulder injury was suffered in a week 14 against the New York Giants in an apparently last appearance with the saints.

The Fresno State product was originally confiscated by the Raiders and spent the first nine years of his career with them. In his decades of career, he scored a total of 169 games (77-92) and thrown 41,245 yards (22nd all-time), 257 touchdowns and 112 interceptions.

The QB room of New Orleans is much younger because Carr is no longer in the mix. Spencer Rattler (24) and Jake Haener (26) have both been selected by the saints in the past two years, and they added Tyler Shough (25) in the second round of 2025. Which of you gets the start job is for the assumption of someone.

– With files from the Associated Press