After Derek Carr’s retirement, where do Saints go from here at quarterback?

Greg Auman

NFL Reporter

The Derek Carr era in New Orleans has ended. The 34-year-old quarterback is retiring, citing a shoulder injury that will require surgery and would have forced him to miss the 2025 season.

He went 14-13 in his two-year run with the Saints, limited by injuries and playing through others, ultimately unable to be the quarterback to get New Orleans back to the playoffs for the first time since Drew Brees‘ retirement after the 2020 season.

Carr’s retirement ends an awkward period of uncertainty, with news of the shoulder injury coming out just before the draft. The Saints’ difficult salary cap situation had forced them to rework his contract to create immediate cap space and, as a result, his contract will count $50 million in “dead money,” or cap space devoted to a completed contract, over 2025 and 2026.

The Saints had anticipated Carr’s absence by using their second-round pick in the draft on Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough, and the 25-year-old is now the favorite to step in to Carr’s role at quarterback under first-year head coach Kellen Moore. New Orleans has drafted quarterbacks three years in a row, but Shough should be able to beat out second-year pro Spencer Rattler, who went 0-6 last season filling in for Carr, and third-year pro Jake Haener, 0-1 in his only career start.

If the Saints want to sign a veteran QB, the best free agents still available include Aaron Rodgers, who appears headed for the Steelers, Carson Wentz and Desmond Ridder.

New Orleans is coming off a 5-12 season that was the franchise’s worst record since 2005, before Brees joined the team. The Saints’ salary-cap inflexibility limited their offseason additions, so the challenge will be keeping up with the Panthers and Falcons, also with young quarterbacks, all going after a Bucs team that has won the division four years in a row and is favored to do so again.

Carr’s NFL legacy is a mixed bag. He passed for 41,245 yards and 257 touchdown passes in an 11-year career, mostly with the Raiders, but also is void of almost any postseason résumé. His best season, in 2016, saw him miss the playoffs due to injury, so he played in a single playoff game, losing after the 2021 season. He made four Pro Bowls with the Raiders, but his Saints tenure will be noted mainly for the massive contract he signed — he’ll end up making $100 million for three years — and the lack of consistent success to match that deal.

His retirement makes it a clean break in New Orleans: new coach in Moore, new quarterback likely in Shough. The rookie, who played three seasons at Oregon and three at Texas Tech before finding success at Louisville last season, will now have the burden of trying to change the franchise’s trajectory. He was the third quarterback drafted, ahead of other top quarterback prospects like Seattle’s Jalen Milroe and Cleveland’s Shedeur Sanders.

Top receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed will help Shough, as well as an upgraded offensive line. New Orleans used its past two first-round picks on tackles, with Taliese Fuaga last year and Kelvin Banks Jr. this year. Moore is an offensive coach with a long run in Dallas before time with the Chargers and Eagles, and he follows an unremarkable 18-25 record by Dennis Allen, who took over for Sean Payton in 2022.

Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent a decade covering the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.

Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!