Saints’ Derek Carr shockingly retires amid shoulder injury

After Derek Carr was contemplating shoulder surgery, the former New Orleans Saints quarterback announced his retirement, according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network.

Carr himself released a statement about his decision.

“Upon reflection of prayer, and in discussion with 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 move comes at a rather tumultuous time for the franchise. Although they hired Kellen Moore to be their next head coach, there were concerns about the quarterback room.

The Saints drafted Tyler Shough from Louisville in the second round. However, the thought was that Carr would play this season. Now, it throws a wrench into the franchise’s plans.

Now, New Orleans will need to get creative on who will be the starter moving forward. Besides the rookie quarterback, they have Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener.

How will the Saints move forward without Derek Carr?

Even though Carr is retiring, the organization has to rebuild at some point. They were teetering on the edge of rebuilding, yet being competitive enough to compete for a Wild Card spot.

The move might be the catalyst for the Saints to embrace a rebuild. Guys like Cam Jordan are still in their prime and can be a major contributor on a win-now team.

Not to mention, New Orleans can get a great value for a player like that.

It might suck now, but the franchise committing to rebuild can do wonders. It will help them construct a roster that can be legitimately competitive for years to come.

After all, the Saints have been projected to draft Drew Allar in the 2026 NFL Draft. Safe to say that hypothetical could manifest itself and come to fruition.

Either way, the shocking news comes with a little less than four months before the season. With the 2025 NFL Draft concluded, they might have to take a chance on Rattler, Shough, or Haena for the upcoming season.

At the end of the day, it might not be what the franchise wanted. However, it could be what they needed to spark serious change, and for them to have the next elite team.