Why Derek Carr gave $30 million back to the Saints
06/04/2025
By Ross Jackson
In a rare interview since announcing his shocking retirement from the NFL in March, former New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr spoke with Front Office Sports about his departure, future, and the curious decision to forfeit $30 million back to the Saints.
Carr’s retirement became official on Tuesday afternoon, which has solicited an end to what had become an ongoing and ever changing situation between him and his former team.
Along with his departure, the quarterback ended up surrendering back $30 million in guaranteed money that had been previously restructured back to the Saints. In return, he walked away with his $10 million roster bonus.
Carr told Front Office Sports that he simply chose to give the money back because of a simple reason.
“That part was tough,” he told newsletter writer David Rumsey. “Because I didn’t want to have surgery and just sit there and—it sounds crazy but—just take the Saints money,”
While it’s a kind enough notion, the premise is a little hard to believe. There’s little debating that Carr has the reputation of a nice guy, but is anyone $30 million nice? Not sure. But Carr seems insistent that it was simply the right thing for him to do in the situation.
“I never played just for the money,” he said. “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.”
Some have openly pondered whether or not the decision was made to avoid a litigious confrontation between Carr and the team. But the honest truth may never be known. The Saints and Carr found an amicable solution, and that’s the bottom line.
The Saints get to move on without him and build toward their future, Carr gets to move on without the team and wear and tear of the NFL while both receive financial considerations to help them through their transitions.
To an extent, what really led to the $30 million return doesn’t matter at all. If Carr did just make the decision as a consideration for New Orleans, the team can thank him for their upcoming financial freedom.
Then they can make the best of it by investing their monetary boon to build themselves back to being a contender under the team’s new leadership.