The New Orleans Saints were dealt a shock on Saturday morning when veteran quarterback Derek Carr abruptly retired from the NFL after suffering a shoulder injury earlier this offseason. While Carr was potentially set to miss the entire 2025 campaign anyways, new head coach Kellen Moore now has a big decision to make when it comes to the team's starting quarterback position.

With Carr out of the picture, New Orleans' quarterback depth chart consists of Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener, and rookie second-round draft pick Tyler Shough.

While Shough hasn't played a snap in the NFL yet, he's believed to have the inside track to the starting job, as Rattler and Haener struggled in limited action last year. However, Moore revealed shortly after Carr's announcement that all three guys will be competing for the starting gig.

“Saints HC Kellen Moore said they will rotate all their quarterbacks, give them all opportunities, as one tries to seize the starting job,” Adam Schefter of ESPN reported. “‘We’re going to let all three of these guys roll,' Moore said. Each will be given the chance to win the Saints' starting job.”

Kellen Moore, Saints holding competition at QB with Derek Carr retiring

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Again, all signs were pointing to Carr not playing in 2025, so this is a decision that Moore has been preparing to make for some time now. While the team surprisingly passed on Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL draft, they drafted who they believe to be their quarterback of the future, Shough, in the second round, and he may be thrown into the fire right away.

If the trio of Shough, Rattler, and Haener struggled this upcoming season, there's a decent chance New Orleans would find themselves in the market for a quarterback once again next offseason.

For now, though, Moore is embracing an open competition when it comes to the Saints quarterback position, and this will be one of the most intriguing position battles across the entire league over the next few months.