It was becoming clear that Derek Carr likely didn’t have a long-term future with the New Orleans Saints, but it came as a big surprise when he decided to outright retire from the NFL.
He still had a huge contract with the Saints, but he needed shoulder surgery. It appears that he’s chosen to quit playing football over undergoing a risky surgery.
Carr will always be remembered for his time with the Las Vegas Raiders, but he did spend his last two seasons in New Orleans. He was supposed to be the quarterback who finally gave the team a capable replacement for Drew Brees.
While that didn’t end up being the case, Brees had some kind things to say about Carr following the retirement decision.
“Obviously, a bit surprising, just being so early in his career,” Brees said, via NOLA.com. “Look, there’s life after football. There’s that second chapter. … It seems like (Carr and his family) really put down roots in Vegas. I know he’s got aspirations to perhaps build a school, a church, pastor that. He’s obviously very involved in the church, his community.
“So at times, you just feel called to do other things. And football was that unique chapter in your life, but there’s so much more after football. It seemed like he was ready to take that next step…”
Carr Wanted Out of New Orleans
The Saints-Carr pairing was likely doomed from the start. Former head coach Dennis Allen didn’t have much job security when Carr came over, and he ended up getting fired during the season.
The Saints have become a much different team than they were when Carr first signed. According to Katherine Terrell and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the quarterback had already soured on New Orleans before the retirement decision.
“Only Carr could say why he would have been seeking an exit from New Orleans, but those around him have theories,” Terrell and Fowler wrote. “One team source said Carr had a kinship with last season’s battery of offensive coaches, departed coordinator Klint Kubiak and quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko, and had hoped they would return. The head coach who drafted Carr as a Raider and brought him to New Orleans, Dennis Allen, was gone. The Saints’ plan to restructure Carr’s contract was another potential source of friction — Moore declined to comment on whether the team had asked Carr to take a pay cut. In any event, the belief among multiple people interviewed is that the Saints and Carr were not on the greatest of terms.”
Door Still Open for Carr Comeback?
Even if Carr wanted to play with the Saints, it seems like he wouldn’t be able to play this season due to his shoulder. However, a year off could give him time to recover without needing surgery.
If he’s back to full strength next year, the allure of returning to the NFL could be strong. There will always be teams that need starting quarterbacks. If a quarterback-needy team calls up Carr next year, it might be hard for him to say no if he’s feeling healthy.
