It’s a new day for the New Orleans Saints
It’s official: Derek Carr is retiring from the NFL, per Tuesday’s update to the daily transactions wire. The New Orleans Saints could have finalized his retirement as soon as Monday, June 2, but there wasn’t any real reason for them to be in a rush to do so. Instead, his career comes to an end on June 3. The Saints will process Carr’s retirement as a post-June 1 release, saving no money against this year’s salary cap but wiping out $30 million from the books in 2026.
Maybe. There’s been a lot of speculation around the league that Carr may just take the year off before trying his hand (or his injured throwing shoulder) again in 2025. It’s possible a year away from the game is good for him and allows his damaged rotator cuff to heal without surgery. But we’ll see. Either way, wherever Carr’s career goes from here, the Saints won’t be part of it.
He never did meet expectations after signing a $150 million contract with the team, going 14-13 as their starting quarterback and bristling with a couple of different coaching staffs. It’s a shame, but at this point it is what it is. What’s important is how he and the Saints move on.
For their part, New Orleans is counting on one of several young passers to step up and win the starting job in Carr’s place — if not second-year pro Spencer Rattler or third-year backup Jake Haener, it’ll be rookie second-round draft pick Tyler Shough. And first-time head coach Kellen Moore is on the headset. It’s a brand new day for the Saints. Let’s hope they make the most of it and work to end this four-year playoff drought.