Derek Carr career earnings: How much did 4x Pro Bowl QB make in NFL?

New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr announced on Saturday morning that he is retiring after 11 years due to a right shoulder injury.

Two months ago, as the four-time Pro Bowler began training for the 2025 season, he experienced pain in his right shoulder. According to tests, he had a labral tear and his rotator cuff had serious degenerative changes.

Carr has reportedly opted to hang up his cleats after contemplating surgery, which could see him miss the bigger portion of the 2025 campaign. Also, there is no assurance that he will regain the effectiveness and performance level he has become used to.

According to Spotrac, Carr earned approximately $195.66 million during his 11 seasons in the NFL before retiring at 34.

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Carr joined the Oakland Raiders as the 36th pick in the 2014 NFL draft and agreed to a four-year rookie deal worth $5.37 million, which included a $2.2 million signing bonus.

Carr agreed to a five-year extension with the Raiders before the 2017 campaign. The deal was worth $125 million, including a $12.5 million signing bonus and $40 million in guaranteed funds.

Carr agreed to a $150 million, four-year contract with the Saints in March 2023. The agreement includes a guaranteed $100 million, a $28.5 million signing bonus, and an average salary of $37.5 million per year.

Now that the quarterback is retiring, it's unknown what kind of deal Carr and the Saints have reached. He was expected to make over $20 million in 2025 and a staggering $69 million in 2026 against the Saints' salary cap.

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Who are the Saints' remaining quarterbacks after the retirement of Derek Carr

Following Derek Carr's surprising retirement announcement on Saturday, the New Orleans Saints have three quarterbacks on their roster ahead of the 2025 NFL season: Jake Haener, Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough, who was chosen in the second round of last month's selection.

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As the 2025 season approaches, Rattler appears to be the most likely candidate to replace Carr as the starting quarterback for the Saints. Rattler started six of seven games for New Orleans after being selected with a fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft. He completed 57.0% of his passes for 1,317 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions.

Shough will also probably compete for the starting role with the former South Carolina star.

About the author

Habib Timileyin has been an NFL journalist at Sportskeeda for 2 years. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in English, and found himself drawn to the NFL about a decade ago.

Habib's favorite team is the Cincinnati Bengals and he particularly enjoyed their run to the Super Bowl in the 2021 season. The 2016 Super Bowl between the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots is his most favorite of all time, and if given a chance to go back in time, he would love to witness the Patroits’ incredible comeback from being 28-3 down to winning 34-28.

Habib admires Tom Brady for his journey from being in a low draft position to achieving immense success in the game. His favorite coach of all time is Bill Belichick.

Habib likes to study intricate details of a story before reporting on it, and compares information among several reputable sources to ensure accuracy. When he's not writing about the NFL, Habib is likely watching Soccer, Basketball or enjoying a good movie on sports.

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Edited by Ribin Peter