Derek Carr opens up about staying in training despite surprising retirement move during offseason

Four-time Pro Bowler Derek Carr shocked the NFL world by announcing his retirement in May. However, the former Las Vegas Raiders quarterback is still training and is not ruling out a potential return to the gridiron.

Derek Carr announced his retirement instead of undergoing a shoulder surgery that had troubled him for years. Carr opted against a $30 million guaranteed salary with the New Orleans Saints.

In a conversation with Dan Patrick on "The Dan Patrick Show," Carr revealed the reason for his continued training despite retiring earlier this year as the 34-year-old isn't ruling a return to football.

"I wouldn’t say never because I’ve learned that when I say never, it usually happens,” Carr said. “I think we’ve all probably learned that. So, for me right now, I’m training because I love to train. That’s gonna be the rest of my life. I love to train. I throw a football every now and then out in the front with my kids and with my buddy for fun, because it’s part of my rehab still for my shoulder.

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However, Carr is still recovering from his shoulder issue and ruled out a return "right now."

"I’m still just trying to get that back right from getting the shot and doing the rehab and all that. So I’m still doing those things. And so I always felt like, even though I’m done, if God wanted me to do it, I’ve got to be ready. I don’t want to go out there and not be ready, you know. So I’ll be ready, but I’m not coming back. Like, right now, today, I’m not coming back.”

Derek Carr revealed passing on Saints' salary for 2025 wasn't easy

Derek Carr signed a four-year, $150 million deal with the Saints in 2023. However, his 2024 season was cut short after a concussion and left-hand injury saw him miss the last four games for the Saints.

The former quarterback said the decision to pass on $30 million for the 2025 season wasn't "easy."

"It wasn't easy, I promise," Carr said on the Dan Patrick Show. "It's easy to make a comment, and just say, 'Yeah, it is what it is.' But it was hard. It was really hard."

Carr said the retirement decision was after consultation with his wife, Heather, who was "done" after helping the former quarterback throughout his NFL career.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash