Austin Carr, New Orleans Saints Wide Receiver

Episode 295

Austin Carr was a former walk-on at Northwestern University where he earned a scholarship and eventually became a starting wide receiver in his junior year. Two years later, he would sign with the New England Patriots after going undrafted in 2017. 

After shining in the 2017 preseason with the Patriots, Carr was waived in the final cuts on September 2. A day later, he was claimed off waivers by the New Orleans Saints, where he has remained. 

In 2018, he played in 14 games, caught 9 passes and also had his first 2 NFL touchdown receptions against Philadelphia and on Thanksgiving against Atlanta. 

In November 2015, after registering with Be The Match two and a half years earlier, Carr was contacted that he may be a potential match to donate peripheral blood stem cells. Through a five hour procedure, he was able to donate his stem cells via a blood transfusion, which ultimately saved the life of the recipient, a retired locomotive engineer for the Union-Pacific railroad who had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. 

On this episode of the podcast, we hear how Austin made it from walk-on receiver at Northwestern to catching touchdowns from Drew Brees. He also shares how his faith has played a role in his journey, including the life-altering decision he made to donate stem cells and save the life of a retired locomotive engineer.