NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Saints already were looking to the future on Saturday afternoon.
Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough was taking snaps in the team’s indoor practice facility a few hours after the Saints announced the retirement of veteran quarterback Derek Carr. That retirement frees up a competition in the quarterback room between second-round pick Shough, Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener.
“We’re going to let all three of these guys roll, and they’ve all earned these opportunities,” New Orleans coach Kellen Moore said. “We’ll let Jake, Spencer and Tyler, all three, go through this process. Again, we’ll play patience, let these guys compete, let them get into training camp and naturally these [competitions will] take care of itself.”
Shough said that Moore told him about the Carr news before practice Saturday morning.
“I think that’s all you can ask for is an opportunity at any position, and I’m going to treat it the same way, as if, whoever was on the roster, I’ve got to continue to grow and get better and do my best to elevate the quarterback room,” he said.
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Carr’s retirement ends a month of uncertainty about his future due to a right shoulder injury in his throwing arm. News of Carr’s injury was made public in early April before the beginning of the team’s offseason workout program, but Carr and the Saints had been publicly quiet about the details of it until Saturday.
In a statement, New Orleans said Carr experienced pain in his right shoulder in late March after his first significant throwing session of the offseason. The Saints said scans determined Carr had a labral tear and “significant degenerative changes to his rotator cuff.”
According to the team, surgery was an option, but that would have put his 2025 season in jeopardy with a possibility Carr never would return to his previous level of strength and function. Carr said he decided to retire instead after consulting with his wife, Heather.
“For more than 11 years, we have been incredibly blessed, and we are forever grateful and humbled by this experience,” Carr said in a statement. “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.”
Carr released another statement on his Instagram account Saturday afternoon thanking his former team, the Raiders, and the Saints, along with their fan bases.
“Through it all, I gave this game everything I had every day. I sleep well knowing that I gave my teammates, my coaches and my cities my all,” Carr wrote. “Now, I look forward to whatever God has next and I’ll pursue it with the same fire I brought to the field. God bless and see you soon.”
Moore said New Orleans found out about the injury in March, before the news was made public in early April. However, general manager Mickey Loomis said before the draft that the Saints were seeking “a resolution and clarity” on the shoulder issue in the near future.
Moore said Saturday that they meant clarity about the injury itself and not because of a communication issue.
“He did everything he could,” Moore said. “As he’s gone through this, he’s communicated extremely well. He’s worked really hard to himself in position, and ultimately this was the outcome.”
Carr’s first public comments came in late April, when he confirmed he had a shoulder injury and dismissed speculation about the issue, saying he and the team had been in “constant communication.”
Moore said that he and Carr missed meeting in person because he was at a pro day when Carr was at the facility earlier in the offseason. He said Carr had multiple discussions with the team’s front office in recent days.
“He spoke mostly with Mickey and those guys as we’ve gone through this process, and obviously the last few days they had those communications and those conversations and made a whole decision that felt best for him,” Moore said.
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 New Orleans during the 2023 free agency period.
Carr ultimately won’t see all of the $150 million, as he will forfeit his $30 million base salary this year due to his retirement, although he will keep the $10 million roster bonus for 2025.
Carr was drafted by Dennis Allen when Allen was coach of the Raiders. He reunited with Allen in 2023, when Allen was coaching the Saints.
The 34-year-old started 169 games for the two teams and finishes with a 77-92 record as a starter. He completed 65.1% of his passes for 41,245 yards, 257 touchdowns and 112 interceptions.
“My experience with him was outstanding,” Allen, now the Chicago Bears’ defensive coordinator, told reporters Saturday. “I mean, what a great individual. I was there when we drafted him in Oakland, had a chance to coach him again as he matured there in New Orleans. I love Derek Carr. … He did a lot of good things and was always somebody that was pleasant to be around in the building.”
ESPN’s Courtney Cronin contributed to this report.
