There might be more to Derek Carr's shocking NFL retirement than just concerns about a shoulder injury.
In a piece published last week, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler revealed that Carr flirted with other NFL teams before informing the New Orleans Saints of his intention to retire. Fowler also offered potential insight into why Carr soured on the Saints two years after signing a lucrative free agent contract.
Here's the full excerpt:
"A Saints source said no permission was given in writing for Carr to speak to other teams," Fowler wrote. "A separate Saints source said the team heard whispers of Carr's flirtation with other teams but didn't consider it a major issue, in part because Carr, after 11 years in the league and playing through injuries, had earned the right to evaluate his future. Outside talks never reached a serious point, according to sources who have familiarity with the conversations.
"Only Carr could say why he would have been seeking an exit from New Orleans, but those around him have theories. One team source said Carr had a kinship with last season's battery of offensive coaches, departed coordinator Klint Kubiak and quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko, and had hoped they would return. The head coach who drafted Carr as a Raider and brought him to New Orleans, Dennis Allen, was gone. The Saints' plan to restructure Carr's contract was another potential source of friction -- Moore declined to comment on whether the team had asked Carr to take a pay cut. In any event, the belief among multiple people interviewed is that the Saints and Carr were not on the greatest of terms."
The Saints used a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Louisville product Tyler Shough, who has the inside track toward replacing Carr as New Orleans' top quarterback. Saints fans also shouldn't expect Carr to pull a Tom Brady, as people close to the 34-year-old insist his retirement is permanent.
For better or worse, the Saints are entering a new era.
