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By Megan Armstrong
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After 44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers came out of retirement to start three games for the ailing Indianapolis Colts last season, nothing should surprise NFL fans anymore.
Enter: 34-year-old Derek Carr.
New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr abruptly retired last May after suffering "a labral tear and also had significant degenerative changes to his rotator cuff" in his throwing shoulder, as announced by the Saints. The Saints revealed at the time, "Surgery was an option, jeopardizing the entire 2025 season, yet there was no guarantee Derek would return to the level of strength, function, and performance of play to which he was accustomed." Thus, Carr chose to retire.
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Less than one year later, Carr is reportedly having a change of heart.
"In talking to teams in the QB market, there’s a strong belief former #Saints QB Derek Carr is very serious about unretiring and returning to the NFL in 2026," NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported on Wednesday. "Carr’s rights belong to the Saints, but teams with winning aspirations have real interest in the former four-time Pro Bowler."
Schultz added, "A trade with New Orleans would be required to get Derek Carr, but from the Saints’ standpoint, that would essentially be a free draft pick (with Tyler Shough viewed as the future)."
This report isn't out of the blue. Carr hinted at returning to the NFL on the Feb. 12 episode of Home Grown with David & Derek Carr.
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"Would I do it? Yes," Carr said. "Would I do it for anybody? Absolutely not."
Carr continued, "I'd have to be healthy, and I would want a chance to win a Super Bowl. Obviously, that's a tough thing to find. That's hard to do. That's not easy."
Later in the episode, Carr reiterated he would "obviously" return to the NFL, but "I had to say no a couple of times so far." He did not share which teams he declined to play for, but David Carr, his brother and former quarterback drafted No. 1 overall in 2002, coyly said, "Do I have any purple and gold?" Derek Carr quipped, "Go Lakers." David Carr said, "Oh, yeah, that's what I mean. It's Lakers season."
Of course, that exchange was enough to spark rumors that Carr wants to play for the Minnesota Vikings. For what it's worth, there are no substantiated reports linking Carr and the Vikings. But Minnesota executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski recently confirmed the Vikings are "exploring every option" at quarterback.
"What we do know is we need a level of baseline quarterback play for us to be effective," Brzezinski said, according to ESPN's Kevin Seifert. "A lot of this has been J.J. [McCarthy] in unfortunate [situations] with some of the injuries and things that he's dealt with, but we're going to explore every opportunity, and I don't think there's anything specifically we're looking for. We can't manufacture anything that's not there. So, No. 1, what are the options? Is it reciprocal? Is it financially doable? All those things. There's just a lot of factors that go into it."
While Vikings second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy struggled immensely to both stay healthy and be productive when healthy, Carr wouldn't be a surefire fix. Carr, who was drafted by the then-Oakland Raiders in the second round in 2014, was mostly a durable player throughout his career. However, he only played 10 games for New Orleans in 2024 due to several injuries.
Carr was the Raiders' starting quarterback from 2014 to 2022 and remains the franchise's all-time leader in career passing attempts (4,958), completions (3,201), yards (35,222), and touchdowns (217). In March 2023, Carr signed a four-year contract with the Saints. The Fresno State alum started 27 games for the Saints. He posted a 14-13 record across two seasons.
The last time we saw Carr in 2024, he threw for 2,145 yards, 15 touchdowns, and five interceptions on 67.7% completion.
It remains to be seen whether an NFL team will want to trade for an older quarterback with a worrisome injury history who hasn't played football in over a year.
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