Derek Carr's brother reveals possibility of Saints legend's return to NFL after surprising retirement

Quarterback Derek Carr announced his surprise NFL retirement last offseason, despite two years remaining on his $150 million contract with the New Orleans Saints, signed in 2023.

He reportedly stepped down primarily because he didn't want to have surgery for a shoulder injury. Given that Carr is 34 years old, reasonably young for a modern QB, many are convinced that if his shoulder heals, he might make a comeback with another team.

In an interview with a local ABC TV station this week, Carr's brother, David, hinted that a comeback is not out of the question for the four-time Pro Bowler if the circumstances are right.

“I think that if a scenario shows itself, which historically those have popped up, and obviously God forbid you don’t want a quarterback on a team that is a contender to go down, but this stuff happens, so Derek will definitely be ready if that situation arises,” David said.

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Derek Carr was effective for the Saints in 2024 in limited appearances, tallying 15 touchdowns and five picks in 10 games.

Derek Carr turned down the chance to play for the Bengals after Joe Burrow's long-term injury

After a winning start to the season, the Cincinnati Bengals have lost four consecutive games without quarterback Joe Burrow due to a long-term toe injury.

Cincinnati acquired Joe Flacco from the Cleveland Browns through a trade ahead of their Week 6 matchup with the Green Bay Packers, but the veteran quarterback wasn't their first choice.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that Derek Carr was one player the Bengals tried to bring in, but the former Saints quarterback declined.

David Carr stated that the Bengals have a proven quarterback waiting in Burrow, which is why his younger brother didn't want to come out of retirement to join the team.

"Derek would like to be in a situation that obviously is a team that really needs a guy to come in and take them 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 he was to enter 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. So I don’t think Derek would be interested in that scenario.”

Although there is currently no set date or timeframe for Burrow's return, there are reports that he might make a comeback from his turf toe injury in December.

In 169 career games, Derek Carr passed for 41,245 yards, 257 touchdowns, and 112 interceptions. He completed 65.1% of his passes and had a 77-92 regular-season record.

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash