Derek Carr isn’t closing the door on an NFL return, and he says more than one team has already checked in about the possibility.
During an appearance on NFL Network on Friday, the Saints quarterback said teams reached out to him this offseason to gauge whether he might be interested in playing again. Carr said he’s open to the idea, but only if the fit is right.
“I never say never, ” Carr said, via Pro Football Talk. “ It would take a special situation.
There were multiple teams that reached out to me this offseason. I won’t say who or how, but they reached out and were gauging my interest on what I wanted to do.
They were good, solid football teams.”
Carr made it clear that if he does come back, it would need to be for a team with real championship upside.
“I’m just at the point where I just want to win. I want to win.
So if I were to do it, it would have to be a special team that maybe lost somebody or needed somebody, but even then, it’s not guaranteed, ” Carr said. “ I’m having too much fun hanging out with my wife, hanging out with my kids, and trying to get good at golf.
So it would take a special deal.”
Even with retirement on the table, Carr said he’s keeping himself ready.
“I’m always training, ” Carr said. “ I’ll be in shape and ready, but probably not. I’ll probably be just coaching my kids.”
Still, there doesn’t appear to be much momentum right now. Matthew Paras of nola.com previously reported that the Saints have not received any trade calls for Carr, even with the quarterback market largely settled. For now, the most realistic path back would seem to be an early-season injury for a contender that suddenly needs help.
Carr, 35, entered the league as a second-round pick of the Raiders in 2014. He was in the final year of his contract when Las Vegas signed him to a five-year, $125 million extension with $70 million guaranteed in 2017.
He later stood to make a base salary of $19.77 million in the final year of that deal and was set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2023 before signing a three-year, $121.5 million extension.
The Raiders released Carr the following season, and he landed with the Saints on a four-year, $150 million contract.
He was due a base salary of $40 million and $50 million in total in the final year of his Saints deal in 2026.
Carr’s 2024 season with New Orleans was limited to ten games. He completed 68.1 percent of his passes for 1,926 yards, 14 touchdowns, and four interceptions.
Over his career, Carr has played in 169 games for the Raiders and Saints and has a 77-92 record. He has completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 41,245 yards, with 257 touchdowns and 112 interceptions.
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