Kool-Aid McMinstry to wear No. 4 after Derek Carr retirement finalized

By Ross Jackson

Well, that didn’t take long. 

The New Orleans Saints officially processed the retirement of former quarterback Derek Carr on Tuesday and hours later, reports suggest his number has already been re-assigned. 

NFL Jersey Numbers, an X (formerly Twitter) profile that tracks newly assigned and changing jersey numbers with impressive accuracy, shared a post Tuesday evening that second-year cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry will take Carr’s former No. 4. 

New Orleans Saints DB Kool-Aid McKinstry (@GaQMcK1) is now wearing number 4. Last assigned to Derek Carr. #Saints pic.twitter.com/OsRp7t0gLe

— NFL Jersey Numbers (@nfl_jersey_num) June 3, 2025

For some, the expeditious nature of the change may be seen as unceremonious but the Saints don’t even so much as formally retire numbers for the franchise’s best, so the quick movement of the jersey number of a one-and-a-half season isn’t massively surprising. Carr’s tenure wasn’t exactly received with glowing reviews. 

McKinstry formerly wore the numbers 34 and 14 in the pros with No. 14 being his regular season number. He wore No. 1 at Alabama. 

There were early indications that McKinstry may indeed move in on the number quickly after Carr’s departure became official, and the second-year corner wasted no time. 

With McKinstry’s No. 14 now available, wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones (formerly No. 24) is set to adopt the number. 

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