NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr has retired from the NFL, the team announced.
Carr, 34, was sidelined the final four games of the 2024 season after he sustained a concussion and left hand injury on December 8. In March, he attempted to throw a football during an offseason workout, but experienced pain in his right shoulder, according to a Saints news release.
The four-time Pro Bowler contacted the Saints medical staff, which determined he had a labral tear and “significant” degenerative damage to his rotator cuff. Carr could have undergone surgery and risked missing the entire 2025 season, but instead chose to retire from the NFL after 11 seasons.Upon reflection of prayer, and in discussion with Heather, I’ve decided to retire from the National Football League,” Carr said in the release. “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.”
Carr, the younger brother of former Houston Texans quarterback David Carr, played two seasons for the Saints after signing a four-year, $150 million contract in March 2023.
By retiring now, Carr forfeits $30 million in base salary for the 2025 season, which he could have earned by opting for surgery and spending the 2025 season on the Saints’ injured reserve list. He will keep a $10 million roster bonus he earned in March, according to Pro Football Talk. In addition, the Saints will not seek to recover the remainder of his $28.5 million signing bonus.
Carr has more than $195 million in career NFL earnings, according to Spotrac.
Carr played his first nine NFL seasons for the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders, which drafted him in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He earned three consecutive Pro Bowl selections with the Raiders from 2015-17 and another in 2022, his final season with the Raiders.
“‘Thank you’ doesn’t say enough,” Carr wrote in an Instagram post. “To my incredible family and friends thank you for your love and support. To the Raiders and Saints organizations, Mr. Davis and Mrs. Benson thank you for giving me the opportunity to live out a childhood dream. To every coach who shaped me, every teammate I went to battle with, and every opponent who pushed me I’m grateful for the grind, the memories, and the brotherhood.
“To the fans thank you for riding with me through the highs, the lows, the injuries, the comebacks, the records, and the Pro Bowls. Through it all, I gave this game everything I had every single day. I sleep well knowing that I gave my teammates, my coaches, and my cities my all. 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,” he added.
For his career, Carr retires with 41,245 passing yards, a 65.1 completion percentage, 257 touchdowns and 112 interceptions in 169 games, including a 77-92 record as starter.
