The New Orleans Saints were thrown quite the curveball over the weekend when it was reported that Derek Carr's 2025 season could be in jeopardy due to a shoulder injury he suffered. It's worth noting that even before Carr's injury came into play, the Saints were likely considering taking a quarterback in the first round.
That has led some fans to speculate if perhaps Carr simply didn't want to play mentor and is saying he's too injured so that he doesn't have to be in that role this year or compete with the rookie signal-caller that gets drafted. Former Saints linebacker Scott Shanle touched on this in a recent social media post and unleashed on Carr.
"My two cents about Derek Carr shoulder injury news. If he's pouting because the Saints are gonna look for a young QB in the draft he's too thin skinned to be your quarterback and the guys in that locker room deserve better. A competitive person would say it's time to play so well the young guy won't touch the field anyways. Nothing is promised to anyone in the NFL. Everyone's time comes to an end. Nobody is owed anything.
If really injured should be at facility and surrounded by surgery specialists today!
Mrs Benson didn't pay you 40 million dollars a year to do car reviews on YouTube.
Tough times will always reveal a man's character."
Scott Shanle doesn't hold back when voicing opinions on Derek Carr injury saga
Now it's worth noting that we don't know for certain what's going on here. Saints fans are pretty fed up with Carr so jumping to the conclusion that he's done with the team and doesn't want to help mentor a young quarterback could be a result of that frustration. That being said, Shanle speaking up on the matter puts it more into focus and he didn't mince words here.
The part that really jumped out at me here was "A competitive person would say it's time to play so well the young guy won't touch the field anyways" and that's so true. These guys are crazy competitive and we've seen in the past how veteran quarterbacks play their tails off after their team drafts a guy to prove they're not done yet. Shanle's comment makes it sound as though Carr does not fall into that category. If Carr is truly injured, however, then playing is not an option for him.
This is just another chapter in the 'Derek Carr was a bad signing' book and hopefully soon, the Saints can move on from the situation. Maybe they'll even find their franchise quarterback in this draft and can move on a lot faster.