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The New Orleans Saints are moving forward into the Kellen Moore era. The new head coach was hired shortly after helping the Philadelphia Eagles win Super Bowl LIX over the Kansas City Chiefs as offensive coordinator. It was expected that veteran Derek Carr had an inside track at starting quarterback as long as his shoulder healed properly. Unfortunately, it seems as if that did not happen. Because of it, the Saints and Carr have announced that he will be retiring, effective immediately.
Derek Carr has announced his retirement.
In late March, while ramping up his preparation for the 2025 season, Derek experienced pain in his right shoulder. It was his first time throwing a football at significant volume since recovering from both a concussion and left hand… pic.twitter.com/SrcJEzDDnU
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) May 10, 2025
“Upon reflection of prayer, and in discussion with Heather, I’ve decided to retire from the National Football League,” said Carr in the Saints’ post on X, formerly Twitter. “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.”
It’s a heartbreaking turn of events for both the Saints and Carr. If he returned to full health, he likely would have been handed the reins of Moore’s offense. He’s shown flashes of brilliance at many times in his career, but he’s been hindered by a myriad of issues, including his health. Now, it’s time for Moore and general manager Mickey Loomis to find their new starting quarterback. Despite the sudden shock of Carr’s retirement, there are still options out there they can consider to take over the number one signal caller spot. The first one? None other than second-round pick Tyler Shough.
The 40th overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, Shough is just now starting his NFL journey. There are likely few better spots he could have landed than New Orleans. Even if Carr had returned at full health, there is a chance that Shough could have seized the starting role from him anyways. There’s a reason why he was so highly selected in the draft after all. He has a lot of skills that any solid NFL starting quarterback starting in the league today has.
He’s shown good arm strength and mobility that allows him to make great off platform plays that can wow both his fellow players and fans alike. The key now is learning how to do it consistently. Under Moore and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, not to mention quarterbacks coach Scott Tolzien (all former quarterbacks themselves), Shough could next be the long-term signal caller in New Orleans. However, if he can’t make the adjustment,...
