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New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr is weighing in on the discourse around his shoulder injury. On Monday, the veteran QB confirmed news of his shoulder injury in a speech delivered at Church LV, a church in Las Vegas, and criticized the idea that his injury was not real.
Earlier this month, reports circulated that Carr was dealing with a significant shoulder injury and might require surgery, putting his 2025 availability in doubt.
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But during Monday’s address, Carr dispelled rumors that his injury was meant to force the Saints into a trade.
“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, and we’re gonna go forward with that.”
Carr’s claim that the team is fully aware of the injury seems to be true: During availability earlier this week, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis acknowledged Carr’s injury but refused to answer any more questions about the quarterback.
Though Carr did not name specific reporters in his speech at the church, “some lady on a podcast” likely refers to The Athletic’s Diana Russini, who said on an Apr. 15 episode of her “Scoop City” podcast that she thought Carr’s situation was “fishy” and speculated that it was “trade bait.” Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio had a similar report, saying on his podcast earlier this month that announcing the injury was likely a “chess move” on Carr’s part.
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On Monday, Carr dismissed those rumors as lies, with his speech turning to a rant about the way that people talk about him and his injury.
“I’ve been dealing with people lying about me and I’ve been dealing with them saying this and this and that, and I’m like, ‘Lord, why do I have to continue to deal with this nonsense?'” Carr said. “You never know what someone’s really going through.
“Why do we always have to have an opinion?” Carr added. “Twitter and Instagram has ruined things for some people. Because now all these people think that they have voices that have to be heard. Some people’s voices don’t need to be heard right now.”
Carr missed the final weeks of the 2024 season after suffering a fracture in his left hand in December. His contract, which was recently restructured in his favor, keeps him in New Orleans through 2026, with the Saints taking a significant cap hit if they decide to trade him.
At the time of the reports, most analysts believed that the Saints were going to draft Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, either as a backup or a replacement to Carr. Instead, New Orleans drafted quarterback Tyler Shough, a 25-year-old with college experience at Oregon, Texas Tech and Louisville. If Carr is not available in 2025 due to his injury, Shough can likely step in sooner rather than later.
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