Derek Carr Admits Multiple NFL Teams Tried to Lure Him Out of Retirement

Derek Carr's rehab is going well and he is ready to make a comeback to the NFL.

Derek Carr Admits Multiple NFL Teams Tried to Lure Him Out of Retirement

Derek Carr (Image via IMAGO)

Retired NFL quarterback Derek Carr has revealed that multiple teams contacted him for a swift return to football. Despite the interest, Carr will only join a team that will offer the best chance to win a Super Bowl.

Carr retired in 2025. Since then, he has been recording videos for his podcast, co-hosted by his older brother and former Texans quarterback David Carr. However, Carr, 35, misses the thrill of the gridiron.

In a recent episode of Good Morning Football, Carr revealed that a few NFL teams have reached out to him.

I’ll never say never. It would take a special situation. There were multiple teams that reached out to me this offseason, and I won’t say who or how, but they reached out. Just gave them my interest on what I wanted to do and all those things. They were good, solid football teams, but a couple of them in some different situations.

Derek Carr said (H/T Kevin Patra of NFL.com)

Carr carried a shoulder injury in his second year with the New Orleans Saints. Midway through the year, he suffered a fractured hand and a concussion. This prematurely ended his year. A few months later, he retired from the NFL but kept the door open for a possible return.

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Derek Carr will only play for a winning team

When the doctors examined Carr’s shoulder, they discovered a labral tear as well as other significant degenerative changes to his rotator cuff. Although the doctors advised him to undergo surgery, Carr declined and opted to let time heal his injury. Nearly 16 months after hanging up his cleats, Carr is contemplating making a comeback to the NFL.

Derek Carr Admits Multiple NFL Teams Tried to Lure Him Out of Retirement
Derek Carr (Image via IMAGO)

However, Carr will only accept an offer from a team with the best shot at winning a ring.

I’m just at the point where I just want to win… I want to win, and I want to do those things. If I were to do it, it’d have to be a special team that maybe lost somebody or needed somebody.

Carr said

The Las Vegas Raiders drafted Carr, a Fresno State alum, 36th overall in 2014. Carr recorded a passer rating of 91.8 with 35,222 yards, 217 touchdowns and 99 interceptions in 142 games for the AFC West franchise.

In 2023, Carr signed with the Saints on a four-year contract worth $150 million, reuniting with former Raiders coach Dennis Allen. In two years with the Saints, Carr recorded a passer rating of 98.8 with 6,023 yards, 40 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 27 games.

Carr heading back to the Raiders feels like an unlikely scenario. The Raiders signed veteran Kirk Cousins and drafted CFP champion signal-caller Fernando Mendoza first overall in the 2026 draft. So, the Raiders are set for now.

As for the Saints, they have found their starting QB. Tyler Shough, a former Texas Tech and Louisville man, pulled ahead of Spence Rattler during his debut campaign with the NFC South club. Shough posted a 5-4 record (four straight wins to finish the season) and completed 67.6% of his passes for 2384 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. He also rushed for three touchdowns.

Aside from Shough and Rattler, the Saints also have undrafted quarterback Hunter Dekkers on the roster, and they signed former first-round draft pick Zach Wilson to a one-year deal.

Kellen Moore, a Super Bowl-winning coach, is heading the Saints, and after a strong finish to last season, he will be eyeing playoff qualification.

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