Breaking news: Raiders second QB announce his retirement from the NFL.
Veteran NFL players make their last decision about whether or not to continue playing football around this time of year. Workouts during the off-season tend to make the choice more obvious.
Derek Carr, a former quarterback with the Las Vegas Raiders, made the decision that he would rather quit football than have shoulder surgery. He may not be the first former quarterback to retire from the Raiders.
Last season, Desmond Ridder was a member of the team for a while. Under new head coach Pete Carroll, they made the decision not to bring him back. It was then reported that he had to withdraw from the Denver Broncos’ rookie minicamp, where he was scheduled to try out.
There could be more to the story, though. Sean Payton, the head coach of the Broncos, provided some explanation on why Ridder didn’t work out.
Ridder is “perhaps considering what he wants to do with his career,” according to Payton. That would imply that the quarterback is at least thinking about whether he wants to play football professionally in the future.
Although Ridder hasn’t spoken yet, his NFL career has had a difficult beginning. He could choose to look for other options.
Derek Carr was thinking about playing somewhere else.
The circumstances of Ridder and Carr are quite unlike. Since he is having trouble finding a position where he can contend for a starting role, the former is probably thinking about retiring.
Carr is injured, but it seems like he could decide he doesn’t want to continue playing for the New Orleans Saints. Before deciding to retire, the quarterback was at least considering his alternatives, according to ESPN.
According to Katherine Terrell and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, “word started to spread within league circles in early March, days before free agency, that Carr — heading into the third season of a four-year, $150 million contract he signed with the Saints in 2023 — was open to playing for a new team.”
Three league sources claim that a Carr representation discussed possible interest in the veteran with at least two clubs looking for a quarterback. While one of the sources categorized the interaction as indirect, both front offices were made aware that Carr may be seeking for a new playing home.”
Conversations Never Got Serious
Carr didn’t seem to be really serious about making a trade, even if he was teasing other clubs.
Fowler and Terrell write, “A Saints source stated that no written consent was granted for Carr to address other teams.” A other Saints source claimed that although the organization had heard rumors of Carr flirting with other teams, they didn’t think it was a big deal since, in part, Carr had earned the right to assess his future after 11 years in the game and suffering through injuries. According to people acquainted with the discussions, outside discussions never got serious.
Even though Carr is retired, this analysis suggests that a return would not be impossible if he needed a year to properly heal his shoulder without surgery. He might go for another run if his shoulder improves.
