When the NFL’s 2024 campaign ended, nobody disputed that the New Orleans Saints would be wise to search for a legitimate successor to Derek Carr. However, in the months that followed, it became clear that Carr’s short-term status was in jeopardy.
As the offseason raged on, Carr’s season-ending shoulder injury from Week 14 didn’t heal as hoped. After further investigation, Carr and the Saints learned that the 34-year-old signal-caller had suffered “significant degenerative changes to his rotator cuff.” This deterioration – and a labral tear – led Carr to retire from football three days ago.
If anyone can provide insight into Derek’s decision, it’s NFL Network analyst David Carr (Derek’s older brother). He joined The Insiders on Tuesday evening to peel back the curtain on Derek’s choice. In David’s opinion, the injury wasn’t the only thing that caused Derek to hang up his cleats.
“That decision was not easy… there were a lot of different things that factored into it. His children are getting older. They’re getting to the point where they want to play catch with Dad. They want to be around; they’re starting to play sports… [and] his shoulder isn’t what it was before… it was time. And he’s very content with where he is.” – David Carr
Derek, a four-time Pro Bowler, finished third in MVP voting in 2013. He led the Oakland Raiders to a 12-3 record that year, but fractured his fibula in Week 16. He never quite recaptured that form following the devastating injury, but still operated as a solid if unspectacular quarterback for the rest of his 11-year career.
Meanwhile, it is also important to look at how Carr’s retirement will impact the Saints team.
Derek Carr retiring helped the Saints finally embark on a rebuild
New Orleans has been stuck in NFL purgatory since Drew Brees’ retirement. They finally dropped off in 2024, going 5-12. But the three seasons prior, they went a combined 26-28. Their residence in the weak NFC South inspired drastic salary cap maneuvers that had pretty much doomed their future. Derek Carr’s retirement, though, has improved their outlook in a major way.
By walking away from the game, Derek Carr saved the Saints approximately $30 million against the 2026 salary cap. He also freed up playing time for the young quarterbacks on New Orleans’ depth chart, including 2025 second-round pick Tyler Shough. Head coach Kellen Moore can now prioritize his development without worrying about wins and losses.
With Carr, the Saints would have continued kicking the can on their salary cap issues and attempted to compete again this season. Now that they don’t have a proven quarterback on the roster, they can finally focus on the future and begin overhauling their rapidly aging roster. According to David Carr, expediting this process was another reason Derek ultimately retired.
“[Derek] wanted to do this right for the Saints. [He wanted] to make sure they were set up in a way where they can kind of recover from this… and have something going forward,” David Carr added.
David admitted there is a downside to Derek’s retirement, though. Now that football isn’t occupying Derek’s time, he’s free to golf with David. And he’s apparently pretty good on the course. As a result, David will “have to step [his] game up.” Hopefully they have just as much fun competing against one another with their clubs as they did opponents on the gridiron.
