Former San Francisco 49ers cornerback Isaac Yiadom was one of several defenders to leave the Bay Area earlier this month in free agency. Surprisingly, the veteran cornerback signed a three-year, $9 million contract with the New Orleans Saints, with whom he spent the 2022 and 23 seasons.
In those two years, the veteran defensive back had 39 combined tackles, 14 pass deflections, a fumble recovery, and an interception across 23 games.
When Yiadom played in New Orleans during those two seasons, the Saints' starting QBs were Andy Dalton and Derek Carr. Dalton eventually made his way to Carolina, meanwhile, Carr was considered a solid starting QB heading into his third season with the club.
For the ex-49er, this was a great chance to reunite with Carr, even though they played on two different sides of the ball. However, Yiadom won’t get to play with Carr again this season as the veteran has decided to hang up the cleats.
On Saturday, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that the 34-year-old Carr is retiring from pro football. Rapoport adds Carr was dealing with a shoulder injury that required surgery and would keep him out for the 2025 season.
#Saints QB Derek Carr, dealing with a shoulder injury that requires surgery that would knock him out for the 2025 season, is retiring, per The Insiders.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 10, 2025
While Carr tried an injection and rehab, it wouldn’t allow him to be 100% until another procedure. Both sides move on. pic.twitter.com/sHbCq9nqVw
The veteran quarterback reportedly tried an injection and rehab for his shoulder injury. However, it wouldn’t make him 100% healthy until he got another procedure done.
Carr had an up-and-down stint in the Big Easy, completing 68.2 percent of his passes for 6,023 yards, 40 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. On paper, it seemed like a good move to trade for Carr, given that the Saints didn’t have a solid starting option in mind.
However, Carr’s time under center only amounted to a 14-13 record over 27 games with the Saints. Nonetheless, with Carr hanging up the cleats, the Saints will see who wins in a QB competition between rookie Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler, and Jake Haener.
Shough was selected in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft and is considered by some as the most NFL-ready QB in this year’s class. Veterans like Yiadom and others on the team hope that Shough or Rattler is ready to lead the charge in 2025.
Yiadom went through a below .500 season with the 49ers in 2024, which was with Brock Purdy playing 15 games. He likely doesn’t want to go through that again for another year in his return to the Big Easy.