Derek Carr Fantasy Stats

Former New Orleans Saints and Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (shoulder) made a surprising decision to hang up his cleats and retire from the NFL this offseason. "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," Carr said. He had two seasons left on the four-year, $150 million deal he signed with the Saints in 2023, although he gave up the $30 million salary he was set to earn in 2025. The four-time Pro Bowler was dealing with a right-shoulder injury that was going to require surgery and leave his availability uncertain for the start of the regular season this fall. Carr said the Saints wanted him to keep playing, but he couldn't commit to another season. With Carr now gone, the Saints will have a QB competition this summer, primarily between rookie second-rounder Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler.

Everyone concedes that quarterback Derek Carr (shoulder) was dealing with a torn right labrum and "significant degenerative changes to his rotator cuff," but not everyone believes it's the full story of why he abruptly retired, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Katherine Terrell. Just before free agency in early March, word began to spread within league circles that Carr, who was heading into the third year of a four-year, $150 million contract, was open to playing elsewhere. According to three league sources, one of his representatives spoke with at least two teams in the market for a QB about potential interest in Carr. A team source said Carr had a close kinship with last season's coaches in New Orleans, who are all now gone, and the Saints' plan to restructure his contract was another potential source of friction. New head coach Kellen Moore never fully committed to Carr being the starter in 2025, either, before learning of his shoulder injury. It sounds as though in addition to his shoulder injury, Carr knew 2025 was going to be his last with the Saints, and rather than trying to figure out a plan to play elsewhere, he decided to hang up his cleats.

Retired quarterback Derek Carr (shoulder) is "extremely unlikely" to make a comeback in 2026, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. The 34-year-old is already making other professional plans. Carr will eventually land on the New Orleans Saints' reserve/retired list, and an unretirement in 2026 would likely trigger an immediate release of his rights given that his 2025 salary of $30 million would immediately hit the salary cap. Anything could happen after Carr is away from the game for a year and his shoulder heals up, but for now he is done playing professional football. With Carr now out of the picture, the Saints plan to have an open competition this summer between rookie second-rounder Tyler Shough, second-year QB Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener. Shough is the current favorite to win the job, but Rattler has the most experience in the NFL.

The New Orleans Saints announced on Saturday that quarterback Derek Carr (shoulder) is retiring. Carr experienced pain in his right shoulder in March while ramping up his preparation for the 2025 season, and medical scans showed that he was dealing with a labral tear and also had significant degenerative changes to his rotator cuff. Surgery was an option, which would have knocked him out for all of 2025, but there still wasn't a guarantee that he'd return to the same level of strength, function and performance. After discussing with his wife, Heather, Carr has decided to hang up his cleats after 11 seasons in the NFL. In 169 regular-season starts, Carr made four Pro Bowls and threw for 41,245 yards, 257 touchdowns and 112 interceptions, with all but two of his seasons coming with the Raiders. With Carr now out of the picture in the Big Easy, second-round rookie Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler will battle for the starting gig in training camp.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (shoulder) is dealing with a right-shoulder that could cause him to miss the start of the 2025 season this fall. Per NFL Network's Jane Slater, Carr thinks he suffered the injury in Week 14 against the New York Giants, the same game he also suffered a left-wrist injury. The 34-year-old veteran was shut down for the rest of the year shortly after that with the Saints out of playoff contention, so Carr didn't really start ramping up his throwing until recently, when he realized his shoulder wasn't right. Slater goes on to say that Carr has had surgery on his shoulder before and would like to avoid another surgery, so he wants to see if he can play through it. He has been to New Orleans twice in recent weeks to meet with the team doctor and remains in constant contact with GM Mickey Loomis. With Carr's status up in the air to start 2025, New Orleans drafted rookie QB Tyler Shough in the second round.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (shoulder), who has been staying in contact with team officials, said he has gotten an MRI exam and everyone is trying to figure out his next step. There have been rampant rumors that Carr is using his shoulder injury to try and force his way out of New Orleans. It remains to be seen if that's the case, but either way, the 34-year-old veteran signal-caller could need surgery on his shoulder, which would likely mean he wouldn't be ready for the start of the 2025 season this fall. Given the uncertainty around Carr, the Saints selected quarterback Tyler Shough in the second round of this year's NFL draft on Friday as an insurance policy. Depending on Carr's injury situation, Shough could be asked to make starts for the Saints sooner than later in 2025. Carr's fantasy value, meanwhile, continues to drop after another disappointing season in New Orleans in 2024.

New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis acknowledged that quarterback Derek Carr (shoulder) is dealing with a shoulder injury that could require surgery and that the organization hopes to have some clarity on the situation soon. There are a lot of question marks about Carr's future with the Saints, and it was recently reported that the 34-year-old signal-caller could be in danger of missing the start of the 2025 campaign. It has led many to believe that New Orleans will target a young QB in this week's draft, possibly even with the No. 9 overall pick in the first round on Thursday night. Outside of Carr, the Saints currently have Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener and Ben DiNucci in their quarterback room. Even if Carr avoids shoulder surgery, stays with the Saints and is their Week 1 starter this fall, he'll be ignored in most 12-team fantasy drafts.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (shoulder) is now dealing with a shoulder injury that threatens his availability for the start of the 2025 season, sources tell NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Carr is currently weighing his options, which includes possible surgery. This is big news, especially with the 2025 NFL draft right around the corner. However, even if Carr was completely healthy, it wouldn't have been much of a surprise if the Saints were considering using a draft pick on a young signal-caller this year with Carr's future with the team beyond this year uncertain. Now that he could miss the start of the 2025 campaign this fall, though, QB should be a bigger priority. Carr, 34, missed seven games with hand and oblique injuries last year and was underwhelming as a QB2 in fantasy before the injuries. If Carr is forced to miss the early portion of 2025, a rookie QB could compete with Spencer Rattler for starts under center. UPDATE: The Saints have been preparing for the upcoming draft knowing about Carr's recent shoulder issue, according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini.

Per Kevin Patra of NFL.com, New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore is excited to team up with quarterback Derek Carr for the 2025 season. "I think we've been consistent through this whole process," Moore said. "We feel really good about Derek, and we're excited to team up with him...We want him here, and it'll be a good situation." The Saints' new head coach also noted he believes that the veteran can improve from last year's injury-plagued season. Carr and New Orleans started 2024 on fire, scoring 44+ points in each of their first two contests. However, it was all downhill from there, as the team imploded and the 33-year-old dealt with abdomen and hand injuries that forced him to miss seven games. If the Fresno State alum can stay healthy, he'll undoubtedly be more productive this upcoming season. The vote of confidence from his head coach is nice, but he projects as nothing more than a middling QB2 and potential streaming option regarding fantasy.

Per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the New Orleans Saints are expected to convert most of quarterback Derek Carr's 2025 compensation into a signing bonus for salary cap purposes. According to Garafolo, Carr is lined up to receive all $40 million owed to him. It's a sure sign that New Orleans intends to keep the veteran on as their full-time QB this coming season. The 33-year-old appeared in just ten contests in 2024 while dealing with abdomen and hand injuries and failed to toss more than 20 passing touchdowns for the first time since 2018. However, he'll return as the Saints' signal-caller for the third straight season. He's proven to be a viable QB2/streaming option in the right matchup. Still, the team will need to surround the Fresno State product with a more feasible arsenal of weapons for fantasy managers to comfortably slot him into their lineups every week.