News broke in the NFL world on Saturday with the surprise retirement announcement from New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr. After 11 years in the NFL – two of which were spent in the Big Easy – Carr is officially hanging up his cleats and moving onto post-football life.
Carr leaves the NFL having passed for 41,245 yards with 257 passing touchdowns and a quarterback record of 77-92 all-time.
While we at Seahawks Wire do wish nothing but the best for Carr and his family as they embark on this next chapter, there is one question that does rise to the top of mind: how does this impact the Seattle Seahawks? Well, more than you’d think!
Seattle is slated to host New Orleans this coming season at Lumen Field. It will be the Saints’ first visit to the Emerald City since October 25th, 2021. It was a 13-10 New Orleans victory on Monday Night Football during one of Geno Smith’s first starts in replacement of the injured Russell Wilson. This year will continue an unusual streak: it will be the fifth-straight time the Seahawks have faced the Saints with a brand new quarterback under center. Let’s take a look at who they were:
October 30th, 2016 – Drew BreesSeptember 22nd, 2019 – Teddy BridgewaterOctober 25th, 2021 – Jameis WinstonOctober 9th, 2022 – Andy Dalton2025 – TBD???
Right now, the only quarterbacks currently on the Saints’ roster are Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener and rookie Tyler Shough who was selected in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Presumably, one of those three will be taking the field against the Seahawks whenever these two teams will meet.
Unfortunately, New Orleans has been a particularly nasty thorn in Seattle’s side in recent years. The Seahawks are actively on a four-game losing streak. They have not beaten the Saints since January 11th, 2014 – the day of their divisional round playoff game during their Super Bowl XLVIII championship season.