Shoulder injury forces Saints QB Derek Carr to retire - ESPN

NEW ORLEANS — Saints quarterback Derek Carr is retiring, the team announced Saturday.

The Saints said Carr had a labral tear and degenerative rotator cuff damage to his right, throwing shoulder that was discovered in late March after he had ramped up throwing to prepare for the season. Carr had not thrown significantly since he fractured his non-throwing hand during a game against the New York Giants in December, the team said.

According to the team, surgery was an option, but that would have put the 2025 season in jeopardy and Carr decided to retire instead.

Derek Carr has announced his retirement.

In late March, while ramping up his preparation for the 2025 season, Derek experienced pain in his right shoulder. It was his first time throwing a football at significant volume since recovering from both a concussion and left hand… pic.twitter.com/SrcJEzDDnU

«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 in a statement.

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.

The 34-year-old started 169 games for 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.

«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