The New Orleans Saints watched Derek Carr bequeath a roster spot Saturday. Carr shocked the NFL world by retiring. Now the franchise made their first roster move Monday in the wake of Carr's departure.

New Orleans isn't adding a quarterback to replace Carr, however. The Saints instead signed veteran wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, with ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler revealing the news.

Carr faced a conflict with his shoulder surgery. The Saints revealed that Carr experienced pain in his right throwing shoulder. Undergoing surgery in May would've jeopardized his 2025 season — including landing on injured reserve. Carr sent a release via the Saints announcing his intentions to retire. Jon Gruden and his alma mater Fresno State showered him with heartfelt messages.

First-year Saints head coach Kellen Moore already has a QB plan mapped up in New Orleans post Carr. But Moore's first move addresses the WR department.

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New Orleans Saints wide receiver Leon Johnson III (81) and Donovan People-Jones (19) during rookie minicamp at Ochsner Sports Performance Center.
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Peoples-Jones wore a Saints No. 19 practice uniform already. He was one of the players working out for Saints rookie minicamp on Thursday.

The Saints officially liked what they saw out of the older WR. Now they've agreed to terms on a brand new deal. He'll head to a room already featuring Chris Olave.

The 26-year-old Peoples-Jones is heading toward his third NFL franchise. The Cleveland Browns previously took him during the 2020 NFL Draft. He landed in the sixth round as the 187th overall pick. Peoples-Jones played with the Detroit Lions during the 2023 season. But also played with the NFC North champion's practice squad during 2024.

The 6-foot-2 wide receiver has started in 31 total games since 2020. He delivered his best production in 2022 — catching a career-best 61 passes for 839 yards. Peoples-Jones has never scored more than three touchdowns in a single season. He hasn't scored a touchdown since New Year's Day 2023.

Now he could establish a rapport with potential QB1 Tyler Shough. New Orleans took Shough during the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Shough joins Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener at QB.