Derek Carr’s NFL career came to an official close in May 2025, marking the end of an 11-year run defined by statistical consistency, individual accolades, and a glaring lack of postseason success. What makes Carr’s retirement particularly noteworthy is that he became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 40,000 yards without securing a single playoff victory. With a career total of 41,245 passing yards and 257 touchdowns, Carr’s numbers place him among some of the most productive quarterbacks in league history—at least during the regular season.
Carr entered the league in 2014 as a second-round pick of the then-Oakland Raiders and quickly earned the starting job as a rookie. He brought a level of stability to a franchise that had long struggled at the quarterback position. Throughout his time with the Raiders, and later with the New Orleans Saints, Carr demonstrated accuracy, toughness, and leadership. He had multiple seasons with over 4,000 passing yards and was selected to four Pro Bowls. He was, in many ways, the consummate professional—durable, reliable, and well-respected in locker rooms across the league.
Yet despite his individual success, team success consistently eluded him. Carr played in just two playoff games over his entire career—both losses. The Raiders’ 2021 playoff appearance, a narrow loss to the Bengals, was the closest he came to notching a postseason win. Prior to that, his only other playoff-eligible season in 2016 ended with a broken leg late in the year, which kept him sidelined for the team’s first-round loss. The lack of playoff victories became a recurring storyline in discussions about Carr’s legacy and, ultimately, a defining aspect of his career.
His final season with the New Orleans Saints in 2024 was marred by injuries, particularly a torn labrum and significant degenerative damage in his throwing shoulder. Though he was initially committed to playing through it, further medical evaluations convinced him that continuing could compromise his long-term health and quality of life. Announcing his retirement in May 2025, Carr acknowledged that the physical limitations he now faced were too great to overcome.
The juxtaposition of Carr’s impressive statistics and his winless playoff record is a case study in the complexities of evaluating NFL quarterbacks. While team performance is influenced by coaching, defense, injuries, and countless other factors, quarterbacks are often judged by wins—especially in the postseason. In that context, Carr’s career remains something of an anomaly: a quarterback who did almost everything right but couldn’t clear the final hurdle when it mattered most.
As he steps away from the game, Carr leaves behind a mixed legacy—statistically impressive, yet unfulfilled in terms of championships. He will be remembered as one of the best quarterbacks of his era to never win in the postseason, a reminder that in the NFL, even prolific numbers can’t always rewrite a narrative shaped by wins and losses.
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