The Saints‘ QB situation has turned out to be a whole lot more interesting with Derek Carr announcing that he is hanging up his cleats. Ever since the Saints dropped an update about Carr’s injury, the veteran QB’s future with the team looked questionable. But it didn’t stretch across the league. Anyway, now that the 34-year-old has said his final goodbye to football, everyone’s breaking down the QB’s abrupt retirement decision. Few even suggest that, in some way, the Saints might have pushed Carr toward this choice.
Honestly, throughout the entire offseason, the Saints’ commitment to Derek Carr seemed uncertain. Then, the Saints suddenly announced Carr’s injury, suggesting that he might not be able to play in the 2025 season. Then, they went ahead and picked a QB in the draft. Reportedly, Kellen Moore and Derek Carr’s relationship got off to a rocky start. When Moore was hired, there were immediate questions about whether he backed the veteran QB and planned to build the team around him. His response? Well, read for yourself:
“Derek’s a tremendous quarterback in this league,” Moore said. “I’ve had so much respect for him, the journey he’s been on. He’s a starter in this league. He’s a premier player in this league… Really excited to team up with him and go through this process.”
Moving on, as Albert Breer puts it in the latest episode of The Breer Report, “I think Derek Carr would have been very solid as the starting quarterback if Darren Rizzi had become the full-time head coach. Instead, the job goes to Kellen Moore.” Breer explained that Carr possibly wanted some form of security after this season, likely in the form of contract adjustments. But that didn’t happen.
Soon after, the Saints restructured the quarterback’s contract, converting most of his $30 million base salary into a signing bonus. This move made Carr almost untradeable, making the situation even messier. “So at that point, they were sort of in a standoff. The Saints saying, ‘You’re going to come play for us, you’re going to play for us under our terms,’” explained Breer.
On top of everything, it seems like Kellen Moore and Derek Carr never really built any kind of connection. Moore even admitted that he and Carr never met in person during the offseason. After Carr announced his retirement, Moore said, “He did everything he could… he’s communicated extremely well… He’s worked really hard to put himself in position, and ultimately this was the outcome.“
But let’s circle back a little…
Derek Carr decides to walk out
The Saints had signed a four-year, $150 million contract with Derek Carr in 2023, but after they restructured his contract, it seemed like they were forcing him to stay and play for them on their terms. The restructuring made him untradeable because of the large cap hit involved. No team would want to take on that kind of financial burden for a QB coming off an injury, especially when there was uncertainty about his future.
The situation became messier as time went on. Carr’s shoulder injury, which had been lingering for two years, only added to the chaos. In the end, Carr reported that his shoulder was bothering him, which helped the two sides reach a peaceful resolution. As Albert Breer puts it, “Derek Carr then, of course, reports back to the team that his shoulder’s bothering him, was a two-year-old injury. That whole thing was a little messy. In the end, they’re able to work it out and come to an amicable finish.“
On May 10, the veteran QB announced his retirement after the drama surrounding his career. He shared a heartfelt message, saying: “Upon reflection of prayer, and in discussion with Heather, I’ve decided to retire from the National Football League. For more than 11 years, we have been incredibly blessed, and we are forever grateful and humbled by this experience.” Carr continued, expressing his gratitude, “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.”
And just like that, Derek Carr’s sudden retirement closes a tumultuous chapter in his career. But do you ever wonder what might have happened if the drama hadn’t overshadowed his final years?
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