Why did Derek Carr retire? Exploring reasons behind Saints QB's bold decision to hang up cleats

Derek Carr retired from the NFL, the New Orleans Saints announced on Saturday. The quarterback also released a statement via the team on his decision to hang up his cleats.

Carr said that his choice to retire was in the wake of his injured throwing shoulder. The veteran signal-caller reportedly sustained a labral tear and also had significant degenerative changes to his rotator cuff.

Carr had been considering shoulder surgery for several weeks, but medical personnel informed him that he might miss the entire 2025 season. There was also no guarantee that the QB would return to the level of strength, function and performance of play to which he was accustomed before the surgical procedure.

Eventually, Carr decided to retire from the NFL after a discussion with his wife, Heather.

"Upon reflection of prayer, and in discussion with Heather, I've decided to retire from the National Football League," said Carr. "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 suffered a concussion and sustained a left-hand injury in his final NFL game, which was against the New York Giants on Dec. 8, 2024 (Week 14). He was then ruled out for the rest of the season.

However, Carr's shoulder injury took place in March this year, when he began resuming throwing in preparation for the 2025 season.

A look into Derek Carr's NFL career in a nutshell

Former New Orleans Saints QB Derek Carr - Source: Imagn

The then-Oakland Raiders (now Las Vegas Raiders) took Derek Carr with the No. 36 pick in the 2014 NFL draft. The quarterback spent nine seasons with them, where he earned four Pro Bowl honors.

In March 2023, Carr signed a four-year, $150 million contract to join the New Orleans Saints. He played two seasons with the franchise before retiring from the league.

Across his 11 years in the NFL, Carr completed 3,765 of 5,785 passes for 41,245 yards with 257 touchdowns and 112 interceptions across 169 regular-season games. He also rushed for 956 yards and seven TDs.