Derek Carr is not even 12 months removed from announcing his retirement, and yet, it sounds like he’s considering a return to the gridiron in 2026.
The New Orleans Saints learned in May 2025 that Carr would retire due to a right shoulder injury despite having two seasons left on his contract. The former Fresno State star left the NFL behind with 41,245 career passing yards, 257 touchdowns and 112 interceptions.
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Although an official decision hasn’t been made yet, NFL Network is reporting that Carr could come out of retirement if the right situation presents itself.
“As quarterback injuries mounted this season and into the playoffs, teams conducted due diligence on Carr, trying to gather information as to whether the former Saints franchise passer would consider coming out of retirement, sources tell The Insiders,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo wrote. “That work continues, and an offseason of quarterback uncertainty — with limited options in free agency, trades and the draft — makes Carr a possible solution in the right situation.”
Dec 29, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) walks the field before a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images.Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images.
(Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images.)
On Tuesday afternoon, a popular radio host mentioned the New York Jets as a potential option for Carr.
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“I’m intrigued by Derek Carr,” WFAN’s Evan Roberts said. “I would agree overall that defining him as a bridge is the most accurate New York Jets Mentioned For Derek Carr Trade Yahoo Sports, I think he could give you three-to-four seasons of pretty good quarterback play.”
Carr appeared in 10 games during the 2024 season, completing 67.7% of his passes for 2,145 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. There’s no doubt he’d give the Jets an upgrade at the most important position.
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Who else could make a run at Carr?
Former NFL quarterback David Carr said his brother would need to find the right situation in order to come out of retirement. We’re not sure the Jets fit that description.
“Derek would like to be in a situation that obviously is a team that really needs a guy to come in and take em’ for the long haul,” David said. “There’s a feeling that maybe Joe Burrow might come back at some point this year – at least try to come back. I don’t know if Derek would feel comfortable being in a situation where say he was to enter in a team situation where the quarterback was hurt and he drove them all the way in, they got into the playoffs, and then he had to go sit on the sidelines.”
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Teams like the Indianapolis Colts and Minnesota Vikings would make a bit more sense for Carr, especially if he’s looking to compete for a potential playoff berth.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Feb 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.