Derek Carr Retires Due to Shoulder Injury

After months of uncertainty surrounding his standing with the Saints organization and their new coaching regime, Carr has officially put a lid on any and all speculation by stepping away from the game after 11 years. Based on the reporting we’re hearing, it looks, sounds, and smells like a medical retirement for the former longtime Raiders QB – it was revealed earlier this offseason that Carr was dealing with an injury that ‘threatened his 2025 season’, and it seems that after multiple treatment attempts, Carr has decided to forego any further damage that could have resulted from continuing to play. His retirement puts an end to what was shaping up to be one of the muddier quarterback situations around the league and leaves the Saints with just 2nd round rookie Tyler Shough and last year’s 5th round pick Spencer Rattler to duke it out for starting duties. Regardless of who starts, neither quarterback figures to be in the conversation as a fantasy-relevant starter – though they will be responsible for supporting WRs Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed to fantasy relevance in 2025 as both come back from injuries. Unless Tyler Shough hits the ground running in training camp and going into the regular season, it’ll be difficult to trust any Saints players outside of Alvin Kamara (who could be a target magnet once again if struggling QBs are forced to dump it off in the backfield all season).