Feb. 15, 2026, 11:58 a.m. MT
The Arizona Cardinals are expected to make changes at quarterback this offseason. They could trade Jacoby Brissett and Kyler Murray is expected to be traded or cut.
So what will they do at quarterback?
There has been talk that Derek Carr, who retired last offseason, could come back and play. However, we shouldn’t consider the Cardinals a real option.
On the “Home Grown” podcast (via ESPN) he hosts with his brother David Carr, another former NFL quarterback, he explained what it would take to get him back on the field.
Carr would “absolutely not” unretire and play again for just anybody.
Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!
His conditions:
“I have to be healthy, and I’d want a chance to win a Super Bowl. And obviously, that’s a tough thing to find. That’s hard to do. That’s not easy,” he said.
We don’t know whether or not he is healthy. He retired after discovering he had a significant and degenerative shoulder injury.
But assuming he were healthy, the Cardinals would never be the team that he would go to. Not only are they not Super Bowl contenders, they are coming off a 3-14 season and have a new head coach. Some believe they must undergo a second full rebuild in teh last four years.
So, among all the potential quarterbacks for the Cardinals in 2026, we can cross Carr off the list.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.