Derek Carr retires: What’s next for the Saints?

With Derek Carr announcing his retirement Saturday, the New Orleans Saints got the clarity they had been waiting for. But it’s a result that leaves an instant void at the quarterback position.

Medical scans determined that Carr, 34, had sustained a labral tear and also had significant degenerative changes to his rotator cuff, so playing in 2025 was in jeopardy. It’s the closure New Orleans has been looking for since April 11, when the news of Carr’s injury first broke. Now that Carr has made his status official, what’s left for the Saints?

They drafted Tyler Shough last month in the second round and have second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler and third-year quarterback Jake Haener on the roster, but New Orleans went 0-7 last season in games where Carr didn’t start. Do the Saints bring in more help? Do they roll with who they have?

NFL Nation reporter Katherine Terrell and national writer Jeremy Fowler tackle the biggest questions surrounding the domino effect of Carr’s retirement.

What does this timing mean for the Saints?

The Saints were already bracing for the possibility of playing without Carr — now it’s a certainty. Carr’s retirement was made official during the team’s rookie minicamp, which is the team’s first extended look at Shough. Now they’ll be able to install their offense with one of their young quarterbacks in mind and remove any controversy about Carr’s decision early in the offseason.

This could have been a distraction if things had dragged on into training camp, but now it’s essentially a clean slate for the coaching staff and the young quarterbacks. Shough, Rattler and Haener will now split the quarterback reps when OTAs begin later in the month. If the Saints elect to make Shough the starter this season, they could make a decision early and without Carr’s potential shadow looming over him.

This also makes their 2026 plans easier. Since Carr chose to retire instead of going on injured reserve, they won’t have to decide his future when the 2026 offseason begins. That clears one task off the 2026 checklist, which could be lengthy with a number of aging players on the roster. — Terrell

How will the Saints proceed at quarterback? Could they bring in another QB?

Coach Kellen Moore seemed noncommittal about Carr as a starter when he had his first news conference as Saints head coach in February. While Moore backed Carr publicly over the next few months, it always seemed likely that he would want to bring in his own guy, and that decision was sealed when they took Shough in the second round.

This Saints’ staff can now mold the room any way they want. Right now, it’s a room that has three young quarterbacks — they could choose to bring in a veteran (they recently released Ben DiNucci) to help mentor, or they could roll with youth at the position and keep things status quo. The Saints also brought Hunter Dekkers in as a tryout player for rookie minicamp — another young quarterback who could try to contend for a practice squad spot if the Saints like what they see. –Terrell

What are the contract/salary cap implications of the move?

Carr was due to make $40 million this season — $30 million in base salary and a $10 million roster bonus. The Saints restructured his contract for salary cap purposes, which brought his base salary down to the league minimum and turned the rest into a signing bonus of $28.75 million, to be paid out weekly during the season. According to his contract, that signing bonus was contingent on “receiving medical clearance to practice and play.” The contract also had contingencies to void the money if he retired from the NFL. According to the retirement agreement, Carr will forfeit the $30 million base salary but retain the $10 million signing bonus. If he does not file retirement papers until June 1, then the Saints will be facing most of the cap implications in 2026. — Terrell

What is the likelihood Carr’s retirement is permanent?

The people I’ve talked to today would be pretty surprised if he tried to return. What became clear over the last few months is Carr’s status as a bonafide QB1 was in question. Is he, as of right now, still one of the 32 best quarterbacks in the league? Most certainly. But there wasn’t a clear-cut home for him this season, outside of the Saints, and recovering from a serious shoulder injury for a quarterback that turned 34 in March is an arduous task. He will have made more than $200 million for his career when accounting for his 2025 pay on his way out of New Orleans. It just feels like a return would be an uphill battle — though you can’t discount a player’s potential eagerness to attempt a comeback if fully healed. –Fowler

If he doesn’t return to the NFL, what is Carr’s legacy?

Carr’s career was underrated in some ways. He played for six different head coaches (two interim) and five different playcallers during his nine years with the Las Vegas Raiders, plus a new coordinator in each of his seasons with the Saints. Thriving despite that turnover — going on to make four Pro Bowls — was an impressive feat. He was also durable before his last year in New Orleans, playing 15 or more games in each of his first 10 NFL seasons. In his prime, he was knocking on the door of the top 10 at his position. But he was largely considered a good player who couldn’t get a team over the hump and carry it to glory. Carr lost his only playoff appearance, an AFC wild-card game with the Raiders in 2022. — Fowler