Saints quarterback Derek Carr announces surprise retirement

What he's saying: "Upon reflection of prayer, and in discussion with [Carr's wife] Heather, I've decided to retire from the National Football League," he said in a statement posted to social media by the Saints. "For more than 11 years, we have been incredibly blessed, and we are forever grateful and humbled by this experience."

• Carr went on to thank fans, coaches and team officials "who made this journey so special."
• "Your unwavering support has meant the world to us."

Carr has labral tear, rotator cuff problems

Between the lines: Carr was battling a shoulder injury, which first appeared as shoulder pain in March, a statement from the Saints says.

• "It was his first time throwing a football at significant volume since recovering from both a concussion and left hand injury sustained during play on December 8, 2024," according to the team.
• Medical scans indicated Carr had sustained a labral tear and suffered significant degenerative changes to his rotator cuff.
• Surgery would have jeopardized "the entire 2025 season," the team says, without a guarantee Carr would return to full strength and performance.

Zoom in: Carr played with the Saints for two seasons after signing a 4-year, $150 million contract in 2023.

• He gives up $30 million by retiring ahead of the season, NBC Sports says.
• He will keep a $10 million roster bonus from March, according to NBC, and the team agreed to not claw back a pro-rated amount of his $28.5 million signing bonus.

The Saints' next quarterback?

The intrigue: Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener will now battle it out for the starting QB position.

• The Saints drafted Shough in the second round of the NFL Draft soon after news broke about Carr's shoulder injury. The 25-year-old began his college career at Oregon before transferring to Texas Tech and then Louisville.

• Rattler was a fifth-round draft pick in 2024 out of South Carolina. He played in seven games with the Saints as a rookie, completing 57% of his passes, throwing four touchdowns and five interceptions.
• Haener was a fourth-round pick in 2023. As a pro, he's thrown 39 passes.

What he's saying: "We're going to let all three of these guys roll," Saints head coach Kellen Moore said Saturday, according to On3.com. "They've all earned these opportunities."

• "We'll play patience, let these guys compete, let them get into training camp."
• Watch his full comments.

State of play: The Saints have struggled to find their groove with a quarterback since Drew Brees retired in 2021.

• They've had eight different players start in the position since then, which NFL.com says is the second-highest number in the league.
• Besides Carr, the team has started Andy Dalton, Jameis Winston, Taysom Hill, Trevor Siemian and Ian Book, along with Rattler and Haener.