LAS VEGAS — Derek Carr, who rewrote the Raiders’ record book during his nine seasons with the club, is retiring from football after suffering a serious shoulder injury last season with the Saints.

Carr, 34, spent the past two seasons with New Orleans after being released by the Raiders following the 2022 season. The lingering effects of the right shoulder injury he suffered late last season — plus the uncertainty that any further treatment would restore it to an optimal level — led Carr to retire after 11 NFL seasons.

The Saints announced the news regarding their quarterback Saturday on social media, posting:

“In late March, while ramping up his preparation for the 2025 season, Derek experienced pain in his right shoulder. 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 Dec. 8, 2024. Derek immediately contacted the Saints’ medical team.

“Eventually, medical scans determined objectively that Derek sustained a labral tear and also had significant degenerative changes to his rotator cuff.

“Since that time, Derek, his representation, the Saints’ medical team and outside medical experts have worked together to determine the best path forward. Surgery was an option, jeopardizing the entire 2025 season, yet there was no guarantee Derek would return to the level of strength, function and performance of play to which he was accustomed.

“Upon consultation with his wife, Heather, Derek has decided it is in the best interests of both his family and the Saints organization to retire from the National Football League.”

In the same statement, Carr expressed gratitude for his time in the NFL.

“For more than 11 years, we have been incredibly blessed, and we are forever grateful and humbled by this experience,” he said. “It’s difficult to find the right words to express our thanks to all the teammates, coaches, management, ownership, team officials and especially the fans who made this journey so special. Your unwavering support has meant the world to us.”

Record-breaking Raiders QB

Carr was the Raiders’ second-round pick out of Fresno State in 2014. He played his first six seasons in Oakland and his final three in Las Vegas. He holds club records for passing yards (35,222), passing touchdowns (217), completions (3,201), completion percentage (64.6) and passer rating (91.8).

The individual numbers resulted in only fleeting team success, though. Carr’s record as the Raiders’ starting quarterback was 63-79, and they reached the playoffs only twice with him under center.

A broken leg he suffered in the second-to-last game of the 2016 season, after helping the Raiders to a 12-3 record, cost him a playoff appearance.

He helped the Raiders to a wild-card berth in 2021, but they lost to the Bengals.

Between those two seasons, the Raiders were a franchise in flux, undergoing multiple coaching, regime and roster overhauls.

Carr played under six head coaches and three general managers with the Raiders. That included the tenure of coach Josh McDaniels, who lasted less than two seasons in Las Vegas and made the call that ended Carr’s Raiders career.

McDaniels benched Carr with two games remaining in the 2022 season, which led the Raiders to release him in February 2023. He signed a four-year, $150 million contract with New Orleans, where he reunited with Dennis Allen, his first coach with the Raiders.

Not long after the Raiders released Carr, team owner Mark Davis expressed regret for not doing enough to maximize Carr’s time with the club. Davis delivered that message to Carr in a conversation shortly after the Raiders released him.

“I apologized to him for not getting it done,” Davis said.

There were many reasons for the lack of success, including the multiple regime changes, the Jon Gruden email bombshell that short-circuited a rebuild many expected would get the Raiders turned around, and poor draft and personnel decisions.

Davis took the ultimate blame, though.

“I’ll take the responsibility because the buck stops here,” he said. “It’s up to me to get it right.”

Statistically great career

Carr finishes his career with 41,245 yards passing, 257 touchdowns and 112 interceptions. He made the Pro Bowl four times, all with the Raiders, and was third in MVP voting in 2016.

In a social media post Saturday, Carr’s longtime agent, Tim Younger, wrote: “Beyond the more than 250 (TDs)/41k (yards)/35 (game-winning) drives, he was the consummate pro, a leader who aided teammates in times of trouble, and he continues to use his platform to help so many people in the community. It’s been an honor. Best of luck on the next chapter.”

Carr’s retirement means he will forfeit his guaranteed $30 million salary for 2025. The Saints will not seek to collect the $10 million roster bonus he was paid in March.

The decision leaves the Saints with an uncertain quarterback future. They selected Louisville’s Tyler Shough in the second round of April’s draft, and he is likely to get the first shot at replacing Carr.

Behind Shough are 2024 fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler and 2023 fourth-round pick Jake Haener.

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