Derek Carr Surprise Comeback Can Give Saints One Final Gift

The New Orleans Saints are not going to be rolling with Derek Carr as the team's starting quarterback in 2026. There are few safer assumptions than that at this moment.

Carr retired before the 2025 season, which opened the door to Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough duking it out for the starting job throughout the summer. Rattler won the job out of camp and Shough developed behind the scenes. When he got his shot in the second half of the 2025 season, he shined and looks like the long-term solution for the franchise.

Carr has made headlines, though, as he has flirted with the idea of coming out of retirement. He never closed the door during the season itself. That's important to note. Most of the buzz since the Super Bowl has made it sound like the idea of Carr playing again is an absolute surprise. He retired before the season, but again, left the door open. On Wednesday, NFL insider Jordan Schultz added more fuel to the fire noting that Carr is "very serious" about coming back for the right team.

The Saints QB is eyeing an NFL comeback

Dec 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson (83) celebrates his touchdown reception from quarterback Derek Carr (4) during the second half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

"Sources: In talking to teams in the QB market, there’s a strong belief former Saints QB Derek Carr is very serious about unretiring and returning to the NFL in 2026," Schultz wrote. "Carr’s rights belong to the Saints, but teams with winning aspirations have real interest in the former 4x Pro Bowler. ... A trade with New Orleans would be required to get Derek Carr, but from the Saints’ standpoint, that would essentially be a free draft pick (with Tyler Shough viewed as the future)."

Carr said he is willing to come back for the right team himself, while speaking to his brother on "Home Grown with David & Derek Carr."

"It hasn't changed from the first interview that we did, okay," Carr said. "Would I do it? Yes. Would I do it for anybody? Absolutely not. ... Would I do it? Absolutely I would do it. I told you two things. I would have to be healthy and I would 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. ... Moral of the story, would I come back? The answer obviously is yes. But I have had to say "no" a couple of times so far."

The Saints' front office should be sitting there hoping some quarterback-needy team interests Carr. It would be a gift. Carr has not been in the team's plans whatsoever. But they still have his rights, so any team that would want him would have to pay for him through some sort of trade. If the Saints could get some sort of draft pick for a retired guy, that would be a steal.