Ex-saints Coach Dennis Allen Reacts To Derek Carr's Retirement

Derek Carr came to the New Orleans Saints as the quarterback who was supposed to save Dennis Allen's job. The head coach needed an answer at QB, and he looked for it in the player he once welcomed to the NFL. But it didn't play out that way. Allen was let go midway through Carr's second year in New Orleans, and Carr himself walked away from football in a surprise retirement over the weekend.

Allen was a hot commodity in this year's hiring cycle, and these days he's working as the Chicago Bears' defensive coordinator. He shared a reaction to news of Carr's retirement during Bears rookie minicamp on Saturday.

"I mean, what a great individual," Allen told reporters. "I was there when we drafted him in Oakland, had a chance to coach him again as he matured there in New Orleans. I love Derek Carr. I haven’t spoken to him. Just saw that right before we walked onto the practice field today. He did a lot of good things and he was always somebody that was pleasant to be around in the building."

It's nearly a clean slate in New Orleans. The Saints have a new head coach, a new question mark at quarterback, and a couple of potential answers between Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler. It'll be up to Allen's replacement Kellen Moore to find the right guy for the job. As for Carr? He did the Saints a $30 million favor on his way out the door, and gets to enjoy retirement with a bill of good health to show for it. That's more than a lot of former players can say.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Ex-Saints coach Dennis Allen reacts to Derek Carr's retirement