By Matt Moscona
Saints head coach Kellen Moore praised Derek Carr Saturday, hours after the quarterback announced his retirement from football. Moore also acknowledged the two never met in person as they navigated this injury situation.
“Derek, the people that are a part of his life, have communicated really well with the Saints. We feel like it was done the right way,” Moore said.
Moore was made aware of the issue with Carr in March but said he and the quarterback never met in person and that general manager Mickey Loomis primarily handled the communication with Carr.
“Everyone talks through every situation and what’s best for Derek,” Moore said. “He did everything he could. As he’s gone through this, he’s communicated extremely well. He’s worked really hard to put himself in a position and ultimately this was the outcome.”
Carr visited the Saints facility twice recently, according to a report last week from Jane Slater.
The injury occurred in December against the Giants, but Carr was not aware of the issue until he began ramping up his throwing program in March. The initial reports of a shoulder injury surfaced in early April.
Moore pushed back when asked if rookie Tyler Shough was expected to be the starter in 2025. “We’re going to let all three of these guys roll,” he said. “We’ll let Jake (Haener), Spencer (Rattler) and Tyler all three through this process. We’ll play patience, let these guys compete, let them get in training camp and naturally it will kind of take care of itself.”
Moore did not close the door on the idea of adding a veteran to the roster. “We’ll certainly have awareness to it…We know this roster will move over the next couple of weeks,” he said. “We have three quarterbacks right now. In a lot of cases you have four, not always but certainly we’re ready if the opportunity presents itself.”
