Derek Carr Addresses Rumors About Not Having a Shoulder Injury

It was reported on April 11 that New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr is dealing with a shoulder injury that could put his 2025 season in "jeopardy."

This report, though, caused some NFL insiders to raise an eyebrow at the timing of when it was released since it was just a few weeks before the draft when Carr revealed this. The Athletic's Dianna Russini, for instance, called it "trade bait."

Carr himself finally addressed the conversation surrounding his shoulder injury during a church service on Sunday. He confirmed that he has a shoulder injury and that he's been in constant communication with the Saints.

"I hate that I have to say this, but I have to say this. Yes, I have a shoulder injury, despite what ESPN says and what some lady on a podcast might think," Carr said. "I have an MRI report to prove it. The team knows about it, we've been in constant communication. There's nothing wrong, we're figuring it out. We're going to go forward with that, is that O.K.?"

Derek Carr is publicly speaking about his shoulder injury. During a church service in Las Vegas (@TheChurchLV), he said he has been in contact with #Saints officials, has gotten an MRI and says everyone is trying to figure out the next steps. pic.twitter.com/ud2GRiHixI
— Farrah Yvette (@farrah_yvette) April 28, 2025

Carr went on to use this situation as an example as to why you never really know what's going on in someone's life. He expressed how he's had to deal with the reports about the reasoning behind him revealing he has a shoulder injury and questioned why he has to deal with it.

A lot of the questioning came from the fact that the Saints were expected to make Carr their starting quarterback for the year. The team even adjusted his contract by converting most of Carr's salary into a signing bonus, setting him up to make his full $40 million salary. This contractural move seemingly solidified him being the starter. Then, the injury news came out a month later, and there wasn't any explanation behind how Carr developed the shoulder injury, which is why some insiders questioned the timing.

The Saints still ended up drafting a quarterback over the weekend by taking Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough with the No. 40 overall pick. This could likely have been a precautionary move in case Carr does miss a substantial amount of time this upcoming season.