Saints’ outlook has completely shifted since Derek Carr’s retirement

By Ross Jackson

What a difference a year makes. Just one day beyond the one-year anniversary of former New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr announcing his surprise retirement, the team’s outlook has taken a complete turn from where it once was. 

The fanbase, the decision-making of the franchise and even the projection of success are all operating at a vastly different clip than they were during the spring of 2025. 

The Downward Spiral of 2024

At this time last year, prior to Carr’s retirement, the Saints were coming off of an injury-riddled and disappointing 5-12 season. One in which the team’s previous head coach, Dennis Allen, was fired after a Week 9 23-22 loss to the Carolina Panthers, the team that was then considered the worst team in the NFL.

In the same game, the team suffered the loss of top wide receiver Chris Olave, who took a scary (and unnecessary) hit over the middle of the field by then-Panthers safety Xavier Woods. Olave would not return to action for the remainder of the season, though he did return to the practice field late in the year. This moment led him to a series of challenging moments in which he contemplated retirement. 

“It was a tough time last year,” Olave said after the team’s home finale last year. ”I was only 24-years-old contemplating retirement. Especially with the head injuries. But I prayed about it. My close family was around me. They stuck by my side and I just gave it another try, another chance and it’s been a great year.”

Thankfully, he chose to bet on himself going into what would become a career year, instead.

Soon after Allen was fired and Olave was out for the season, Carr sustained an injury himself, diving for a first down on a second and long that otherwise would have resulted in a third and short situation.

The result of that injury would eventually lead to Carr not returning to the field for the remainder of the season and the Saints dropping four consecutive games to end the season.

Changes Galore in 2025

Since Carr’s injury, the Saints underwent a slew of changes.

• Head coach Kellen Moore was hired following his 2025-26 Super Bowl run as the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles.
• Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley was hired.
• Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak was given a chance to pursue a new role, landing with the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. He would later become the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.
• Moore took over play calling duties on offense and his long-time colleague and former Saints quarterback, Doug Nussmeier, became the new offensive coordinator.
• Quarterback Tyler Shough was drafted No. 40 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, the highest a quarterback was selected in the draft (excluding the supplemental selection of Dave Wilson in 1981) since Archie Manning was selected No. 2 overall in 1971. 

After all of those changes were made, Carr would later announce his retirement on the first day of Saints rookie minicamp, May 10, 2025.

Change of Fortune at Quarterback

Since then, the team held a quarterback competition between Shough and returning passer Spencer Rattler, which Rattler won in the offseason. But after a couple of struggling games against the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Saints made the decision to switch to Shough.

The 2025 second-rounder saw his first extended action in the second half of the game against the Buccaneers before receiving his first start on the road against the Los Angeles Rams. Both games resulted in a loss, but it wasn’t hard to see the upside that Shough brought to the game with his poise, pocket mobility and live arm.

Shough would then go on to lead five wins over his final eight starts including the first four-game win streak since the 2020 season.

New Life

Now, just over a year after Carr’s retirement, the team’s outlook appears vastly different than before. High-level free agents are joining the franchise and crediting the quarterback for their decision, rookies expressed before the draft their desire to play alongside Shough and drafted acquisitions praised the quarterback as a part of their excitement. 

While projected win totals remain low on some sportsbooks, the reason is only because of how much is new around the Saints, rather than because of a lack of belief in the team’s abilities. Most national projections include the team being one to watch as a potential winner in the NFC South division.

After years of playoff absences and increasingly disappointing products, the Saints have rebounded back into promise in just one year’s time. And while the team still has a way to go before it can consider itself a Super Bowl contender, the climb has to start somewhere.

The Rebuild

It seems, with the change of mentality that took place when Carr announced his retirement, that the climb began soon after what could have been a death knell to the franchise’s short-term hopes.

“I think the beginning of (the rebuilding process) was just Derek (Carr) not being able to play this year,” Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said after the 2025 season. “That’s the beginning of it. And then, ‘Okay, we’re going to have a young quarterback, and there’s going to be a lot of development.’ So how can we develop the rest of the team along with his development, so that you marry this timeline of his improvement and the things that we’re going to need to be able to do to support him?”

The team has since added a slew of talent around its quarterback:

• Signed running back Travis Etienne Jr.
• Signed guard David Edwards
• Signed tight end Noah Fant
• Drafted Arizona State wideout Jordyn Tyson No. 8 overall
• Drafted wide receivers Bryce Lance and Barion Brown
• Drafted Georgia tight end Oscar Delp

New Orleans also added linebacker Kaden Elliss and extended safety Julian Blockmon before drafting defensive tackle Christen Miller and trading for edge rusher Tyree Wilson. All of which are among the new defensive additions that could play key roles in getting the ball back to Shough and the offense.

The Saints have gone from a team depleted in money and playmaking to one flush with cash and talent. One year and a $30 million recoup of guaranteed money from Carr’s retirement has sent New Orleans on a new and promising trajectory.

Nothing is guaranteed. But at one time, the only thing promised was a struggling club. That is no longer the Saints’ identity. With Shough and Moore at the helm and new weapons continuously being pursued and added, the Saints appear to be an entirely new team headed into what they believe will be a competitive 2026 season.