(The Lion) — Even in the big-money world of the NFL, $30 million is no small sum.
But that’s what NFL quarterback Derek Carr passed up when he retired in May, saying he didn’t want to force the New Orleans Saints to keep him on the payroll while he nursed an injury that limited his effectiveness.
Besides – he added – the material things of this world don’t satisfy. A devout Christian, Carr pointed to his faith as the key factor in his decision.
“I never played just for the money,” he told Front Office Sports. “I had a whole bunch of people tell me how crazy I was, and ‘Man, I would never have done that.’ That’s all cool, but I’ve gained all these things that the world has to offer, and it doesn’t really do anything for your heart. I knew my heart was at peace, and that’s really all that mattered.”
Carr played 11 years in the NFL, nine with the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders before finishing his career with the Saints. A four-time Pro Bowl quarterback, he was third in the Associated Press MVP Voting in 2016 and retired with 41,245 passing yards – placing him No. 22 on the all-time list, ahead of such stars as Joe Montana and Jim Kelly. His 257 career touchdowns also rank him No. 22.
He sustained a shoulder injury in 2023 that he re-injured last year.
According to Front Office Sports, Carr, 34, stepped away from the NFL having earned an estimated $195.7 million over his career. Though he had two years left on the four-year, $150 million deal he signed in 2023, he forfeited a $30 million salary for 2025 but retained a $10 million roster bonus from March.
“That part was tough because I didn’t want to have surgery and just sit there and – it sounds crazy but – just take the Saints’ money,” he told Front Office Sports.
Surgery would have ruled him out for 2025, he said, and if he tried to play with a bum shoulder, he wouldn’t have been 100%, so that “doesn’t help them, either.”
“I just felt like it was the right thing to do for myself and for the team.”
One month after announcing his retirement on May 10, Carr says he’s content – with a possible future as a TV football analyst.
“My agent literally texted me a few days ago and he said, ‘Hey, just checking in. How’s everything? You still feel comfortable with the decision?’ And I sent him a picture of me on the beach with my two kids playing. And I said, ‘This beats an OTA [organized team activity] any day.’ And he said, ‘Yeah, I thought so,’” Carr said. “So, I’m doing great and have thoroughly enjoyed being home.”
Carr was one of the most outspoken Christian players in the NFL, regularly thanking God in postgame interviews and even speaking in churches. He also gave interviews to faith media such as to Tauren Wells’ The High Note podcast.
In 2023, he told attendees at Church LV in Las Vegas that his goal is to represent Jesus wherever he goes.
“I see people holding up signs outside when I’m driving in [to the stadium],” Carr told the congregation. “Yes, I see all those things. But my job as a believer is to reflect the light of Christ back to them. And so when they see me [and think,] ‘Why doesn’t he react a certain way?’ It’s because I’m reacting the way Jesus is telling me to react. I’m reacting the way that my Father is telling me to react.”
