Veteran QB Derek Carr said during an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show that he “wouldn’t say never” regarding a potential return to the NFL.
“I wouldn’t say never because I’ve learned that when I say never, it usually happens ,” Carr said, via Pro Football Talk. “ I think we’ve all probably learned that. So, for me right now, I’m training because I love to train. That’s gonna be the rest of my life. I love to train. I throw a football every now and then out in the front with my kids and with my buddy for fun, because it’s part of my rehab still for my shoulder. I’m still just trying to get that back right from getting the shot and doing the rehab and all that. So I’m still doing those things. And so I always felt like, even though I’m done, if God wanted me to do it, I’ve got to be ready. I don’t want to go out there and not be ready, you know. So I’ll be ready, but I’m not coming back. Like, right now, today, I’m not coming back.”
Carr did say that he’s still dealing with the shoulder injury that ultimately led to him retiring this offseason. He later agreed to a deal with the Saints and was placed on the reserve/retired list, so New Orleans would hold his rights in the event he unretired at some point.
Carr, 34, is a former second-round pick of the Raiders back in 2014. He was in the final year of his contract when the Raiders signed him to a five-year, $125 million extension that included $70 million guaranteed in 2017.
Carr stood to make a base salary of $19.77 million in the final year of his contract and was set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2023 when he signed a three-year, $121.5 million extension.
However, the Raiders released Carr the following season, and he signed a four-year, $150 million deal with the Saints.
He was due a base salary of $40 million and $50 million in total in the final year of his contract in 2026.
In 2024, Carr appeared in ten games for the Saints and completed 68.1 percent of his passes for 1,926 yards, 14 touchdowns, and four interceptions.
For his career, Carr appeared in 169 total games for the Raiders and Saints for a career record of 77-92. He completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 41,245 yards to go along with 257 touchdowns and 112 interceptions.
