Derek Carr joins UCLA football staff as special adviser

While multiple professional franchises attempted to lure Derek Carr out of retirement, the former Pro Bowl quarterback chose to step away from the active gridiron entirely and begin his coaching career on a college sideline.

According to an announcement by the university, Derek Carr joins UCLA football staff as adviser to first-year head coach Bob Chesney, taking on a role as a special adviser to assist with quarterbacks and offensive game-planning. The transition marks a definitive shift for the 35-year-old veteran, who walked away from the NFL following a medical diagnosis that cut short his playing career.

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Carr revealed on his Home Grown podcast alongside his brother, former NFL quarterback David Carr, that six different professional teams approached him with opportunities to return to action, with two destinations proving particularly intriguing before ultimately falling through, as reported by Heavy. Rather than pursuing an NFL comeback, Carr removed any ambiguity about his immediate future by stating plainly that he is finished playing and turning his focus toward coaching while enjoying life as a father.

The pivot to Westwood follows an abrupt retirement from the New Orleans Saints in May 2025. Medical evaluations during preparations for the 2025 season revealed a labral tear and significant degenerative changes in Carr's right shoulder. Faced with the prospect of a procedure that would have cost him most or all of that campaign without guaranteeing a return to his previous form, the 11-year veteran chose to retire rather than undergo surgery.

For UCLA, the addition brings an experienced football mind into the building to support a program undergoing a substantial rebuild. First-year head coach Bob Chesney, a former defensive back who took over the Bruins following a successful tenure at James Madison, inherits a team facing high expectations after struggling to adapt following its move into the Big Ten. The program has posted consecutive losing records of 3-9 and 5-7 in the conference, part of a broader stretch featuring seven losing seasons over a 10-year span.

Chesney, whose background is heavily rooted on the defensive side of the ball, emphasized the immediate value of adding a veteran who spent more than a decade executing the position at the highest level. He has played the quarterback position at a high level for more than a decade, and his experience, leadership and football knowledge will be an incredible resource for our coaching staff and student-athletes, Chesney said, according to Nola.

The connection to the Bruins is anchored by institutional ties rather than past playing history in southern California. Carr is a Fresno native who starred at Fresno State from 2009 to 2013 before being selected in the second round of the 2014 Nfl Draft by the Oakland Raiders—where he established himself as the franchise's all-time leader in passing yards, touchdowns, and completions across nine seasons before playing two years with the Saints. UCLA general manager Darrick Yray previously worked as an offensive assistant and assistant director of football at Fresno State during Carr's collegiate career, providing the foundational relationship that led to the appointment.

I've known Darrick for a long time and have great respect for the work he's done throughout his career, Carr said in the school's announcement, as noted by Yahoo Sports. The opportunity to help coach Chesney, the staff and the quarterbacks at UCLA was one that really excited me.

Rather than stepping in as a traditional offensive coordinator or taking over the position room outright, Carr's day-to-day responsibilities are structured around supporting the existing staff. He stressed in his podcast remarks that he is not arriving to usurp control, describing his approach as an opportunity to listen, learn, and pass along the insights gathered from starting 163 regular-season games, throwing for 41,245 yards and 257 touchdowns, and earning four Pro Bowl selections.

Whether this sideline advisory role serves as a temporary entry point or the foundation of a permanent second career remains to be seen. The immediate test for Chesney's revamped staff arrives when the Bruins open the 2026 season against California on September 5, followed by their home opener against San Diego State at the Rose Bowl on September 12.

Building a Coaching Foundation in Westwood

The institutional ties between Derek Carr and UCLA's football leadership extend directly to general manager Darrick Yray, whose earlier tenure at Fresno State overlapped with Carr's collegiate career, according to Yahoo Sports. That established familiarity facilitated the transition from the professional ranks to the collegiate sideline, offering the 11-year veteran an entry point into instruction rather than frontline play. While professional franchises explored his availability, Carr confirmed on his podcast that his playing days concluded permanently after medical evaluations uncovered significant right shoulder degradation, leaving the New Orleans Saints holding his rights should any formal unretirement ever be processed, as outlined by NBC Sports.

First-year head coach Bob Chesney inherits a program attempting to regain its footing following consecutive conference struggles, making the addition of an experienced offensive mind a notable asset for player development. Yahoo Sports and Heavy both detailed the structural realities facing the Bruins as they adjust to competing within the Big Ten conference following years of wider program inconsistency.

UCLA Football Program Context

Metric / Detail	Supporting Source / Reference
Recent Big Ten Records	3-9 and 5-7 (Yahoo Sports)
Broader Ten-Year Trend	Seven losing seasons in the last 10 (Yahoo Sports)
Last Rose Bowl Game Appearance	1998 (Yahoo Sports)

Rather than claiming a traditional positional coaching title, Carr's role is designed around advising the offensive staff and assisting quarterbacks with game-planning strategy. As noted by Yahoo Sports Canada, this appointment allows young signal-callers to glean insights from a starter who commanded 163 regular-season contests, accumulated 41,245 passing yards, and earned four Pro Bowl selections during his tenure with the Raiders and Saints. The next step for the revamped coaching staff arrives on September 5, 2026, when the Bruins open their regular-season slate against California.