Derek Carr’s retirement decision draws strong 4-word message from Saints’ Dennis Allen

The New Orleans Saints won’t have Derek Carr around anymore after he announced his retirement on Saturday. The quarterback was expected to miss the entire 2025 season due to a shoulder injury that has continued to bother him.

After Carr decided to hang up the cleats, Saints head coach Derek Carr reacted to the news with a simple four-word message.

Via Patrick Finley:

“I love Derek Carr,” Allen said.

Carr had a labral tear in his throwing shoulder and a degenerative rotator cuff issue. He could’ve undergone surgery, but that wouldn’t guarantee the quarterback would be able to play again. The Saints released a statement on Carr’s decision:

“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, via ESPN.

Carr also spoke out on his retirement after 11 seasons in the NFL:

“Upon reflection of prayer, and in discussion with [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 now have three very inexperienced quarterbacks on their roster in Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler, and Jake Haener. There’s speculation Shough could be the starter, but we’ll first have to see how training camp goes.

Carr joined the Saints prior to the 2023 season. He played 17 games that year, completing 68% of his passes for 25 touchdowns against eight interceptions. The veteran was limited to only 10 appearances in 2024 because of his shoulder injury.