NEW ORLEANS — After two star-crossed and injury-filled seasons with the New Orleans Saints, quarterback Derek Carr announced Saturday that he is retiring from the NFL.

In a statement, Carr and the Saints said that he experienced pain in his right throwing shoulder during a workout in March. Medical scans revealed a labral tear, as well as degenerative injuries to his rotator cuff.

Surgery could have put him out for the entire 2025 season and offered no guarantee of a full recovery, so the 34-year-old felt his best path forward was to retire.

“Upon reflection of prayer, and in discussion with (wife) Heather, I’ve decided to retire from the National Football League,” Carr said in his statement. “For more than 11 years, we have been incredibly blessed, and we are forever grateful and humbled by this experience. 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.”

Carr spent 11 years total in the NFL — the first nine with the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders and the last two with the Saints. He is the Raiders’ career leader in passing yardage and touchdowns and led them to two playoff berths.

In 2023 he came to New Orleans as a free agent on a four-year, $150 million contract as the team tried to find its next franchise quarterback to follow Drew Brees. By retiring, Carr will lose $30 million in guaranteed salary this season.

Carr started all 17 games in 2023 as the Saints finished 9-8 and just missed the playoffs. Carr played through several minor injuries that season, then had a few more significant ones in 2024.

In a Week 5 loss at Kansas City in October, Carr suffered an oblique injury that kept off the field for three games. In a Week 14 win over the New York Giants on Dec. 8 he he suffered a concussion and an injury to his left hand that sidelined him for the last four games.

He played in only 10 games in 2024. The Saints were 5-5 in games in which Carr played, and 0-7 when he did not.

Carr finishes his career with 41,245 passing yards, 257 touchdowns, 112 interceptions and a 65.1 percent completion rate in 169 games. He was 77-92 as a starter.

Carr’s retirement leaves the Saints with three quarterbacks on their active roster — second-round draft pick Tyler Shough; Spencer Rattler, who’s in his second season after going 0-6 as a starter last year; and Jake Haener, who has started one game since being drafted in 2023.