Derek Carr surprised the sports world on Saturday when he announced his plan to retire, and many have wondered if there is more to the story surrounding the New Orleans Saints quarterback than a serious shoulder injury. Those questions may now be more valid than ever.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Katherine Terrell published a story on Friday that provides a detailed look at the weeks and months leading up to Carr’s retirement decision. According to the report, word had spread prior to free agency in March that Carr was open to playing for a new team.
At least two teams that were in the market for a quarterback were made aware that Carr might want out of New Orleans. The talks never got serious, but they are viewed as evidence that Carr and the Saints “were not on the greatest of terms.”
There have also been plenty of questions about the shoulder injury itself. Carr and the Saints said doctors determined the 34-year-old would need surgery and to miss all of 2025 if he were to continue playing. Carr was banged up last season and missed a handful of games, but he was never listed on the injury report with a shoulder injury. He also reportedly went through a routine end-of-season physical, and no concerns were raised about his throwing shoulder.
Sources told ESPN that the lack of information about Carr’s shoulder injury prior to the last two months have led some to question whether the issue was the driving force behind Carr’s retirement. Some Saints sources said they learned about the shoulder injury in late March. One coaching source said he was unaware of it until NFL Network had a report about the injury on April 11.
The belief among multiple members of the Saints organization is that Carr was at least considering retirement before the extent of the shoulder injury was revealed to either him or the team, according to ESPN.
Carr was entering the third year of a four-year, $150 million contract he signed with the Saints in 2023. There were rumblings that he was unhappy with the franchise, though he went out of his way to call out one reporter who questioned the legitimacy of his injury.
It is possible that Carr was on the fence about his playing future and the shoulder injury made his decision easier. He may have also been less than thrilled with the Saints, who have a new head coach in Kellen Moore and probably did not view Carr as their quarterback of the future. All of those things can be true.
