With the NFL offseason mostly in the history books, there are only a few mysteries remaining.
The future of New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr is one of them.
Carr has made headlines recently for a shoulder injury that seemingly came out of nowhere, one that threatens his availability for the 2025 NFL season. Takes have been flying from all over ever since.
Some believe the injury to be legitimate. Others have suggested Carr is faking the injury to get out of New Orleans. The quarterback later appeared at a church, where he spoke on the situation.
‘Yes, I hate I have to say this, yes, I have a shoulder injury,’ Carr said. ‘Despite what ESPN says and what some lady on a podcast might think. Okay? I have the MRI report to prove it. The team knows about it. We’ve been in constant communication. There’s nothing wrong, and we’re going to go forward with that. Is that okay?’
The situation has been far from conventional, with very few concrete answers along the way. On Tuesday, some more news came to light that paints a clearer picture.
Here is the latest on Carr and his shoulder.
Derek Carr injury update
Carr is said to be considering surgery for his shoulder. A decision on that should be coming sooner rather than later, according to NFL Network’s Jane Slater.
‘It’s my understanding that Derek Carr absolutely believes that this shoulder injury took place during the same game that he injured the wrist,’ Slater said on Tuesday.
Carr suffered the wrist injury during the Saints’ Week 14 game against the New York Giants.
Slater added that Carr has been to the Saints’ facility and the quarterback didn’t notice the injury until he began ramping up his throwing program this spring. She said that Carr was only throwing a fake football in walkthroughs with injured players and Alvin Kamara, pointing out that the Saints fell out of contention before the quarterback could push for a return.
She also reported that it sounds like Carr would prefer to avoid surgery, if possible, given he’s already had that arm operated on before. It appears that the quarterback will wait to see if he can play through the issue.
Both sides are working towards a resolution.
In the meantime, the Saints are operating with a new coaching staff led by Kellen Moore and just drafted a quarterback in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, taking Tyler Shough out of Louisville.
Shough figures to be the starter next season if Carr is sidelined, but Moore could have options if Carr is healthy enough to play.
All the NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY’s 4th and Monday newsletter. Check out the latest edition: Looking ahead to the 2025 NFL schedule release.