Derek Carr has finally broken the silence surrounding his mysterious shoulder injury, and he didn't hold much back.
The New Orleans Saints quarterback has spent the majority of the offseason out of the public eye but still the central point of nearly every conversation surrounding the team.
That's because as the Saints head into a new coaching era with Kellen Moore at the helm, the team's QB future has been a constant question mark. As the noise around that situation grew louder in the buildup to the NFL draft, reports of a shoulder injury that could threaten Carr's 2025 season emerged and grew into a tornado of takes and criticism. That storm of commentary even included reports that the injury might not actually exist and only built louder as the team largely declined to address the situation. Saints GM Mickey Loomis did confirm that the team was aware of the injury and the Saints went on to draft Louisville QB Tyler Shough at No. 40 overall. Carr finally was heard publicly addressing the issue over the weekend as he spoke onstage during a roughly hour-long guest sermon at ChurchLV service in Las Vegas.
“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," Carr said, pacing across the stage in front of the captive audience. "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 overall statement was a larger message that emphasized the importance of listening to God and the teachings of the bible, rather than constant social media musings, criticism and uninformed opinions.
"I’ve been dealing with this and I’ve been dealing with people lying about me. I’ve been dealing with them saying this and this and that, and I’m like, Lord, why do I have to continue dealing with this nonsense? Like, what is going on?" Carr continued. "And I say that to preface with, you never know what someone is really going through, and so why do we always continually attack people, and I would say, attack people that are trying to do things, maybe, the right way? Why do we always have to have an opinion?"
The podcast comment was most likely referring to statements made by NFL insider Dianna Russini on her show "Scoop City," which she cohosts with former Saints QB Chase Daniel. The comments didn't explicitly claim that Carr was faking an injury, but heavily implied that not all was as it was being stated to be based on conversations with unnamed sources around the league.
Carr went on to share with the audience that his family has been dealing with multiple significant off-field issues. Carr said one of those occurred on the day he was scheduled to come to New Orleans to work on navigating the shoulder issue, with his wife, Heather, suffering a medical emergency. The family rushed her to the emergency room where it was discovered she had suffered a miscarriage, with the family unaware she was pregnant.
"I don't just have four babies. We have five. One is in heaven," Carr said.
He continued: "I say all that to say, let's be a people that doesn't judge and point out and just think the worst when you don't really know what people are going through."
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Carr, who has not been visibly present in New Orleans throughout the offseason -- including in the buildup to Super Bowl 59 in the city -- didn't make any public comments at that point to downplay the narrative. He was spotted at Fresno State's pro day, and notably was featured in a car review video on YouTube where he discussed the features of a Rolls Royce Spectre, an electric vehicle that retails at about $500,000. The timing and content of the video drew widespread criticism, as it was posted on the same day that Saints players were arriving to New Orleans for the start of the team's offseason workout program. Attendance is not mandatory and Carr was among a handful of players who were not on-hand for the sessions.
Saints GM Mickey Loomis confirmed that the QB was dealing with a shoulder injury in his pre-draft press conference, but wouldn't elaborate further despite repeated questioning.
"We’re hoping to get some resolution and clarity on that in the near future and when we do, I’ll report back to you," Loomis said. "Otherwise I don’t have anything more to state about Derek.”
He repeated that stance in his post-draft press conference, but did state that if healthy, Carr would still be the Saints' QB starter. He also indicated that the rookie, Shough, would be in a competition with the rest of the QB room, otherwise. Kellen Moore deferred to his GM's comments on the subject and didn't provide additional insight about Carr's situation, though he's publicly backed the veteran in previous remarks.
The resolution regarding Carr's deal is still unclear. The Saints opted to restructure his contract and will be on the hook for roughly $80 million split over the next two seasons whether he plays for the Saints or not.
Carr's brother, David, also addressed the injury during a pre-draft show on the NFL Network, indicating that the injury is believed to have occurred at the same time that Derek injured his left wrist on a play late in a win over the Giants. He attributed the delay in the shoulder diagnosis to the rehab process for the hand injury and the lack of throwing as he worked back into playing shape.
“The Saints need to know if he’s going to be available and I promise you there is no one that would want to know that more than Derek," David Carr said, "so that’s what he’s working through."
Carr's status as the Saints starting quarterback has been a point of contention for much of his tenure after signing a 4-year, $150 million contract ahead of the 2023 season to pair then-head coach Dennis Allen with the QB he worked with briefly during his final season with the Raiders. Carr has battled injuries but has been productive when available with an overall record of 14-13. The Saints started 2-0 in both seasons before relative collapses. In 2023 they were leading the Packers 17-0 in Week 3 when Carr suffered an AC joint sprain early in the second half. The Saints lost that game and Carr returned to start the following week, but admitted later in the season that he was limited and affected by the injury. The Saints battled adversity and fell to 5-7, but won four of their final five games to finish 9-8, missing the playoffs on multiple tiebreakers. Injuries struck again in 2024 when he suffered an oblique injury in a Week 5 loss to the Chiefs, followed by the fractured hand that effectively ended his season in Week 13. Carr returned to action in a Week 9 loss to the Panthers, the 7th game of a losing streak, with Allen fired the following day. The Saints went 5-5 in games started by Carr and were 0-7 in the games he missed, admittedly against largely playoff-caliber competition with rookie Spencer Rattler at the helm.
In his 27 games started for the Saints, Carr has completed 64.6% of his passes for 6,023 yards and 26 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. 2024 marked the first time in his 11-year career that Carr has failed to eclipse 3,000 yards passing. He has also become a constant point of complaint among a sizable chunk of the fanbase and a target for ire that's built up over a 4-year stretch of playoff misses since the retirement of Drew Brees. Home fans have been quick to make their opinions heard with boos, including one game when the Superdome cascaded cheers when Carr was replaced by Taysom Hill for a play, then a loud chorus of boos when he returned to the field.
More information is sure to arrive in the near future, with the biggest question being whether the shoulder issue will require surgery to repair. The Saints are scheduled to begin their optional organized team activities on May 20, with their veteran minicamp scheduled for June 10 the first mandatory function for players to attend.