New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr shocked the NFL world last month when he announced his retirement due to an ongoing shoulder injury that would require surgery and likely sideline him for the entire 2025 season.
But why did Carr decide to retire, rather than get healthy while under contract for the Saints?
“That part was tough [leaving money on the table] because I didn’t want to have surgery and just sit there, and it sounds crazy, but just take the Saints money,” Carr said in an interview with Front Office Sports.
Carr, 34, was entering the third season of a four-year, $150 million contract. His 2024 campaign was hindered by an oblique injury, which sidelined Carr for three games, and later a season-ending hand injury.
Across the 10 games that Carr appeared in, he totaled 2,145 passing yards, 15 passing touchdowns, five interceptions and a 101.0 passer rating, while completing 67.7% of his passes. He ranked seventh among quarterbacks in passing grade (86.7) and 11th in overall grade (85.6), according to Pro Football Focus.
“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.”
When Carr retired, the Saints stated that the quarterback had a “labral tear” and “significant degenerative changes to his rotator cuff.”
Carr, a four-time Pro Bowler, spent the first nine seasons of his NFL career with the Raiders (2014-22), with whom he’s first in franchise history with both 35,222 passing yards and 217 passing touchdowns.
In his first season with the Saints (2023), Carr totaled 3,878 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 97.7 passer rating, while completing 68.4% of his passes. New Orleans went 9-8 and missed the playoffs.
Derek Carr missed seven games in 2024. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
“I never played just for the money,” Carr said. “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.”
As for the Saints, they selected Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough with the No. 40 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and have 2024 fifth-rounder Spencer Rattler, who made six starts as a rookie, and Jake Haener in their quarterback room.
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