Shoulder injury forces Saints QB Derek Carr to retire

NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr is retiring, the team announced Saturday.

The team said that Carr had a labral tear and degenerative rotator cuff damage to his right throwing shoulder that was discovered in late March after Carr ramped up throwing to prepare for the season. The team said Carr had not thrown significantly since he fractured his non-throwing hand during a game against the New York Giants in December.

According to the team, surgery was an option, but that would have put the 2025 season in jeopardy, and Carr decided to retire instead.

Derek Carr has announced his retirement.

In late March, while ramping up his preparation for the 2025 season, Derek experienced pain in his right shoulder. It was his first time throwing a football at significant volume since recovering from both a concussion and left hand… pic.twitter.com/SrcJEzDDnU

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) May 10, 2025

“Surgery was an option, jeopardizing the entire 2025 season, yet there was no guarantee Derek would return to the level of strength, function and performance of play to which he was accustomed,” the Saints said in a written statement.

Carr, a 2014 second-round draft pick by the Raiders, retires after 11 seasons. He spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Raiders before signing a four-year contract worth up to $150 million with the Saints during the 2023 free agency period.

Carr, 34, started 169 games for two teams and finishes with a 77-92-0 record as a starter. He completed 61.5% of his passes for 41,245 yards, 257 touchdowns and 112 interceptions.

“Upon reflection of prayer, and in discussion with [his wife,] Heather, I’ve decided to retire from the National Football League” Carr said in a statement released by the team. “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 Saints quarterback room now consists of 2025 second-round pick Tyler Shough, 2024 fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler and 2023 fourth-round pick Jake Haener.

News of Carr’s injury was made public in early April, although both sides have been mostly quiet in the past month. Prior to the draft, the Saints said they were hoping for “clarity” on the situation, and Carr’s first public comments came in late April, when he said he had a shoulder injury and dismissed speculation about the issue.

Carr said that he and the team had been in “constant communication” about the injury.

“We’re figuring it out and we’re going to go forward with that,” Carr said on April 28 during a guest sermon at Church LV in Las Vegas.