Derek Carr–Vikings Rumor Great News for Saints

The New Orleans Saints should be keeping a close eye on the quarterback-needy teams around the league right now.

For New Orleans, it's in an enviable position. Tyler Shough is the starting quarterback for the franchise and he looked like a star in the second half of the 2025 season once he took over as the team's starter. Spencer Rattler is just 25 years old and showed improvement in 2025 before Shough took over. He would be a very servicable backup, or an intriguing trade chip if the Saints saw fit.

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The wild card is Derek Carr, though. He recently made it clear that he would be open to returning to the NFL for a contender on the "Home Grown with David & Derek Carr" podcast. If a team is interested and Carr decides to play, the Saints could get draft compensation in return. The Saints should be hoping for this right now. One thing that should intrigue the Saints is the fact that while breaking down the Minnesota Vikings' quarterback room, ESPN's Kevin Seifert mentioned Carr's name.

The Saints should give the Vikings a call

Dec 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) scrambles during the first half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

"O'Connell said last month he 'definitely' wants a 'competitive situation' at the position and, in fact, used a form of the word "competition" nine times during the question-and-answer session," Seifert wrote. "'We've got to decide how to not only continue J.J.'s progression [and] allow him to continue to ascend as a young player, [23] years old with 10 starts,' O'Connell said. 'But at the same time, I think the competition in that room will only enhance our entire team.'

"If that's the message to free agents when the negotiating window opens March 9, it might be difficult to recruit candidates who are seeking a clear path to the field. A trade would alleviate the need for convincing. ... Some trades would by definition signal a new starter, whether it's a deal for the Arizona Cardinals' Kyler Murray or even the rights to retired New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr, who recently said he would unretire for a shot at winning the Super Bowl. Any such discussions are likely to heat up during the combine next week, at which point O'Connell and Brzezinski likely will have decided if they are prepared to sideline McCarthy should the right deal presents itself."

There's already been a lot of buzz about Carr and the Vikings. Carr's brother, David, even alluded to the Vikings while the two discussed Derek's potential comeback, although the veteran signal-caller quickly changed the conversation.

The Vikings are a team that can be good in 2026 with the right quarterback. If they think Carr could be that guy, that would be great for New Orleans. If the Saints can trade Carr, that would be an easy win to bring back draft compensation. The Saints are all set at quarterback. There's no way to know for sure if Carr will play again seeing how that is contingent on there being a contender who wants him.

If Carr doesn't play in 2026, it wouldn't impact the Saints at all. If he does decide to play, then all of a sudden New Orleans could get draft picks it otherwise wouldn't have had. So, Carr not playing doesn't hurt the Saints and there only would be upside if he does come out of retirement.

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