A report from earlier this spring claiming that New Orleans Saints starting quarterback Derek Carr could miss at least part of the 2025 campaign due to a serious shoulder injury shocked many within the NFL community who didn’t know he was dealing with any type of physical setback this offseason.
After the Saints selected Louisville signal-caller Tyler Shough with the 40th overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, Carr referenced his shoulder while speaking at a Sunday church service.
“Yes, I have to say this,” Carr explained, as shared by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “I hate that I have to say this, but I have to say this. Yes, I have a shoulder injury, despite what ESPN says. And what some lady on a podcast might think, OK? I have an MRI report to prove it. The team knows about it. We’ve been in constant communication. There’s nothing wrong. We’re figuring it out, and we’re gonna go forward with that. Is that OK?”
Carr’s comments are yet the latest twist in what’s become a fascinating offseason saga. He made it known in January that he wouldn’t take a pay cut and was reportedly open to a trade before the Saints restructured his contract in March.
For a piece published on April 14, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated wrote that “the Saints knew about [Carr’s] shoulder issue” but may not have viewed it “as something that was actually threatening his 2025 season” before the previously mentioned report surfaced.
More recently, Breer suggested on Monday that Carr could “opt for surgery” that may sideline him until further notice. As for Shough, the prospect who turns 26 years old this September was seen by some as “the most pro-ready” quarterback in this year’s draft class.
The Saints could also play 2024 fifth-round draft pick Spencer Rattler if Carr isn’t available this fall.
“I’ve been dealing with this,” Carr added during the church service, “and I’ve been dealing with people lying about me and I’ve been dealing with them saying this and this and that, and I’m like, ‘Lord, why do I have to continue to deal with this nonsense? Like, what is going on?’ And I said that to a preface with you never know what someone’s really going through.”
Florio wrote that “there’s been just enough quiet tension between Carr and the Saints to make people wonder whether we’re witnessing competing moves on a high-stakes chessboard.”
As of the final Monday of April, it certainly seems that Carr may have taken his last meaningful in-game snap for New Orleans before he and the organization potentially part ways in 2026.
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