Carr is reportedly “already making other professional plans.” Whatever those entail, they apparently do not involve using retirement as a quick dodge off the Saints roster. We’ll probably get rumors for another year or two about Carr, who would have been playing his age-34 season had he not retired suddenly on Saturday. But there’s no reason to expect him to return to the field at this point.

Wow, to put it mildly. The news was announced by the team itself. Saints insider Nick Underhill reports Carr “tried all his options to get back on the field and ultimately decided against having another surgery and will retire.” He also reports the Saints will “recoup the money from this offseason’s restructure and will get cap relief.” In a statement, the team said Carr was dealing with a “labral tear and also had significant degenerative changes to his rotator cuff,” and that surgery would not guarantee a return to full effectiveness. It’s a sad end for a player who spent most of his career overachieving, though perhaps not surprising. Carr, who almost never missed time before last season, had grown increasingly prone to playing through injury. It apparently was no longer sustainable. Carr never won a playoff game but qualified for four Pro Bowls. He was ultimately a high-floor, limited-ceiling player who maximized every ounce of his talent to start over a decade in the league. Carr’s retirement means rookie second-rounder Tyler Shough will now begin the season as Saints starter barring something truly surprising happening in training camp.

Slater reports that Carr believes he injured his throwing shoulder in the same Week 14 game against the Giants that he injured his left wrist last season. The shoulder issue was apparently discovered as he ramped up throwing in the spring, not as the season wound down in 2024. Carr has already had surgery on that arm and wants to see if he can play through the injury. Slater adds that Carr made two trips to New Orleans to meet with the team doctor and a decision will be made “sooner rather than later” as the 34-year-old tries to make the best decision for his shoulder and the Saints aim to make the best decision for their franchise. It would be a surprise to see Carr return to start for the Saints, especially without having surgery. New Orleans has signaled an attempt to move on by selecting Tyler Shough in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Carr has two seasons left on his four-year, $150 million contract with the Saints and a decision on his future is looming.

“I would have trouble understanding why you would allow that to happen, you’re trying to build a new culture, you can’t let that guy ... you just got a rookie QB, this is the example you’re going to give him,” Underhill continued. Both Underhill and Mike Triplett believe Tyler Shough will be starting for the Saints in Week 1, with Underhill saying he had “80 percent or higher odds to start 80 percent of the games this year.” Shough would be an uninspiring superflex pick, perhaps a QB3, but given how things have played out with Carr over the past months it sure doesn’t seem like the Saints have a reason to want to continue this relationship. Mickey Loomis literally asked reporters to stop asking him Carr questions at his pre-draft press conference.