We're starting to learn more about the mysterious shoulder injury that forced Derek Carr to retire from the NFL over the weekend.
The New Orleans Saints quarterback announced his retirement on Saturday, abruptly ending speculation about his status for next season and beyond. Shortly after news broke, NFL Media's Mike Garafolo offered new details on Carr's ongoing shoulder issues.
"My understanding is (Carr) started to feel some pain in March," Garafolo said in a video posted to the X platform. "This was an injury that happened last season, but started to feel some pain as he started to throw. Couldn't throw more than, like, 20-25 yards, something like that. Underwent medical evaluations.
"It was determined that even if he got an injection and rehabbed a little bit, probably would've gotten back to, say, 75%. So, the only way to really get to 100% was surgery, which meant a timeline of recovery of, like, four to six months. So, basically would've missed the bulk if not the entire season. So, instead of staying on IR and collecting 30 million dollars more ... the sides got together. Carr will not get that $30 million, he'll punt on that. But in exchange, he keeps the ($10 million signing bonus) and the Saints will not go after any of the signing bonus proration. So, this was an amicable deal."
Garafolo went on to say that rookie Tyler Shough now has a clear path toward becoming the Saints' starting quarterback in 2025. New Orleans selected the Louisville product with a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Shough will have to beat out Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener in a quarterback competition this summer, but he should be considered the favorite to earn the job.
