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Derek Carr, the former New Orleans Saints quarterback, shockingly announced his decision to step away from the NFL on May 10, 2025. Carr had been suffering pain in his right shoulder for a long time due to a labral tear and other changes to his rotator cuff prior to his retirement.
After consulting with doctors, Carr felt that he could no longer play the game at the highest level resulting in his decision to retire. However, recently, it has come to light that a part of his decision also had to do with $30 million.
Real Intent Behind Retirement and Leaving $30 Million on the Table
In a league where players are striving for the best contracts they can earn and looking to outearn their biggest competitors, long-time Raiders quarterback proved that the human touch still remains, and doing the correct thing matters more than any amount of money.
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Speaking to David Rumsey of Front Office Sports in a recent interview, Carr explained that in order to play again, he would have had to undergo surgery and that meant missing out on several games. Moreover, even if he returned, he wouldn’t be able to play at a high level, so he felt that by retiring, the Saints could save on his $30 million and use that to build the franchise.
“That part was tough because I didn’t want to have surgery and just sit there and — it sounds crazy but —just take the Saints money. I wouldn’t have been able to play if I had the surgery. And then if I tried to play with it, I wasn’t near 100 percent, and so that doesn’t help them, either. I just felt like it was the right thing to do for myself and for the team.”
Derek Carr shocked the NFL world by retiring last month and giving up $30 million.
After battling injury, Carr tells FOS he made the decision out of respect for the Saints and himself. pic.twitter.com/mraA3E2pV9
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) June 4, 2025
Earning more money just by sitting around and doing nothing was not something the 34-year-old was comfortable with. In doing so, Carr has sent out a powerful message to the NFL community that, at times, money is not everything.
Carr’s Career In a Nutshell
Carr entered the NFL in 2014 when he was drafted by the then-Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft. He played 9 seasons with Oakland / Las Vegas, and another 2 seasons with the Saints.
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Despite being the starter from his rookie season, Carr was never able to have much success with the Raiders, leading them to just 2 postseason appearances in 2016 and 2021. However, he missed the 2016 playoff game due to a fibula injury he suffered in a week 16 game, sidelining him for the rest of the season.
At 34 years old, Carr finished his career in the NFL with a 77-92 record as a starting quarterback, throwing for 41,245 yards, 257 touchdowns, and 112 interceptions.