“Happy Retirement my love! I’m so proud of you!..All your records, pro bowls, and accomplishments on the field don’t even compare to the husband, dad and man you are off the field…” Derek Carr’s wife, Heather, wrote in an emotional tribute to the former Saints QB. Carr’s retirement at the age of 34 was a shock to everyone. Yes, he was injured with a potential season-ending shoulder injury. However, no one had a clue that Carr was mulling retirement in silence. Having walked away from his gridiron duties on Saturday, Carr had no time to relax. Even without having to throw footballs anymore, Carr had a lot to do just 24 hours after his retirement.
The moment Carr announced his retirement, fans were in utter disbelief. Like a QB who was once at the top of his game with the Raiders, he saw his career come to an end because of an injury. Carr was all set to be the Saints’ field general again this season. After missing 7 games last year because of multiple injuries, Carr was supposed to be the focal point of the Saints’ offense under Kellen Moore. Like, they even restructured his contract to accommodate him into the team. However, everything came to a crashing end when Carr suddenly found an issue with his shoulder.
He did had surgery as an option, jeopardizing his whole 2025 season. But then he also didn’t have any guarantee of regaining his arm strength after the surgery. So, after a lot of contemplation and discussion with Heather, Carr chose retirement. And on his first day as a non-footballer, Carr was equally busy as he was in his NFL days. His wife, Heather, shared an Instagram video that captured the first day of Carr’s retirement. Their Heather was captured asking Carr, “What are you going to do,” as the 34-year-old casually strolled out of his room.
The first thing Carr wanted to do was “go outside and run as a family.” The next thing Heather showed us was Carr running topless in their backyard with four of their children. Next up, he and his kids were captured hitting the gym. A bit later, Carr and Heather were seen enjoying a post-retirement date where Heather paid the bill. After doing all of those things, Carr headed outside to play some golf. Then, once he came back, Carr was throwing balls in his backyard. Not football but baseball to his kids. Finally…
The two had a family dinner, and Carr’s first day of retirement ended with watering the plants. Now, with Carr’s exit from New Orleans, they are stuck in a thin QB room.
Derek Carr’s sudden retirement puts the Saints’ season in jeopardy
Leaving Carr, the Saints only have three QBs on their roster. Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener. Looking back at last season, without Carr starting, the Saints went 0-7 with Rattler and Haener. So, the question is, can they really cope without their $150M QB? Well, Shough could step up, given that he is not so rookie after all. But obviously, how well his 7-year experience in college would have emulated in the NFL that no one can say for sure. Looking elsewhere, the Saints just let go of Ben DiNucci. And signed Hunter Dekkers as a tryout player in their rookie minicamp.
Upon Carr’s exit, the Saints will save $30M in base salary. However, when it came to asking for his $10M roster bonus. The Saints allowed him to keep it. Coming back to the current scenario of the Saints’ QB room. Tyler Shough is taking most of the reps as a probable undisputed starter in the Big Easy. Then Rattler and Haener were seen splitting QB reps with plans of an all-inclusive OTA training session.
But obviously, time will tell how well the Saints cope without Carr. Of course, he would have been a key piece to the Saints’ offense. However, with him gone, the Saints have no other option but to rely on the remaining QBs on their roster.
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