National Football League

Saints, former Raiders QB Derek Carr retiring from NFL after 11 seasons

Updated May. 11, 2025 12:33 p.m. ET

New Orleans Saints and former Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr announced on Saturday morning that he's retiring from the NFL after 11 seasons.

"Upon reflection of prayer, and in discussion with Heather, I've decided to retire from the National Football League," Carr said in a statement. "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."

This news comes in the wake of it being revealed last month that Carr could miss the entire 2025 season due to potential right shoulder surgery, with the Saints stating on Saturday morning that the 34-year-old quarterback had a "labral tear" and "significant degenerative changes to his rotator cuff."

Soon after he announced his retirement, Carr shared a longer "thank you" message on social media.

"'Thank you' doesn’t say enough. To my incredible family and friends thank you for your love and support. To the Raiders and Saints organizations, Mr. Davis and Mrs. Benson thank you for giving me the opportunity to live out a childhood dream," Carr wrote.

"To every coach who shaped me, every teammate I went to battle with, and every opponent who pushed me I’m grateful for the grind, the memories, and the brotherhood. To the fans thank you for riding with me through the highs, the lows, the injuries, the comebacks, the records, and the Pro Bowls."

Carr was entering the third season of a four-year, $150 million deal with the Saints. He missed seven starts last season due to oblique and hand injuries. Across the 10 games that he started, Carr put up 2,145 passing yards, 15 passing touchdowns, five interceptions and a 101.0 passer rating, while completing 67.7% of his passes.

Carr, a four-time Pro Bowler, spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Raiders (2014-22), who selected him with the No. 36 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft out of Fresno State. In his nine seasons with the franchise, Carr threw for a total of 35,222 yards and 217 touchdowns, which each ranks first in Raiders history. He signed with the Saints in 2023, with the team going a combined 14-13 with him under center from 2023-24.

The Saints are coming off a 5-12 season and selected Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough with the No. 40 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Shough joins a quarterback room that includes Spencer Rattler — who started six games for New Orleans last season — and Jake Haener. They also have Kellen Moore as their new head coach. This is the first head-coaching job for Moore, who was previously the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Chargers and Dallas Cowboys.

The last time a quarterback who was a four-time Pro Bowler abruptly retired because of long-term injury concerns was Andrew Luck in 2019. That August, he announced he was calling it a career due to various injuries he had suffered over his career, including ones to his shoulder and ankle. Luck was 29 when he retired.

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