During the week leading up to the Super Bowl, there was some speculation that Derek Carr was looking to make a comeback, and now we know that’s definitely the case because he validated it on his podcast. That’s right, after sitting in retirement for just one season, it appears that Carr is ready to return to the NFL.
During the most recent episode of “Home Grown with David & Derek Carr,” the Carr brothers talked about multiple topics, including Derek’s thoughts on coming out of retirement. Carr revealed his retirement back in May and a big reason made the decision to leave the NFL is because he was dealing with a shoulder injury, an injury that seems to be doing much better now.
“Would I do it? Yes,” Carr reported of coming out of retirement. “Would I do it for anybody? Absolutely not.”
David then chimed in and pointed out that no team should even bother calling Derek unless they’re a true playoff contender.
“Unless you’re trying to make a run at this thing, the confetti falling, the Lombardi in the sky, that’s what we’re after,” David reported.
Derek then added that he only has two qualifiers for a possible return.
“I told you two things: I’d have to be healthy and I’d want a chance to win a Super Bowl,” Derek reported. “And obviously, that’s a tough thing to find. That’s hard to do. That’s not easy.”
So there you have it. Derek Carr is open to a return, but he’ll likely only come out of retirement for a playoff contender. With that in mind, we’re going to take a look at some possible landing spots for Carr and we’re only going to include teams that will likely contend for a playoff spot, which is why you won’t find a team like the Jets on this list. The Jets have a very obvious need a quarterback, but they’re 12 players away from being five players away from a Super Bowl contender, so it seems unlikely that Carr would want to go there.
One thing to remember with Carr is that the Saints still own his rights, so if he does come out of retirement, New Orleans would have to be willing to trade him away to his new destination.
1. Vikings
The Vikings are currently in a nightmare situation at quarterback. They took at gamble at the position in 2024 and hit the jackpot, but then they threw all their money away in 2025. And of course, we’re talk about Sam Darnold here. Darnold led Minnesota to a 14-3 record in 2024, but the Vikings got greedy and thought they could do better, so they let him walk in free agency and decided to roll the dice by going all in with J.J. McCarthy. In his first full year as a starter, McCarthy looked much closer to being a bust than someone who can eventually be Minnesota’s franchise quarterback.
The Vikings have already proved they can win games with the right quarterback and Carr seems like the perfect veteran who could come in and help. The Vikings won nine games in 2025 with McCarthy, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer all starting at least two games, and Carr seems like a step up from that combo.
If you give Carr the right weapons, he generally does pretty well, and the Vikings have some receiving weapons in Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson. Carr might have to compete with McCarthy for the job, but that’s likely a competition where he would be feeling pretty confident.
2. Steelers
The Steelers are obviously waiting on Aaron Rodgers, but at 42 years old, there’s certainly a chance that Rodgers will decide to retire instead of returning for another season. If that happens, then Pittsburgh will be in quite the quandary at quarterback. The Steelers do have Mason Rudolph and Will Howard, but you have to think Mike McCarthy would me more comfortable with a smart veteran quarterback who could efficiently run his offense and that’s where Carr would come in.
McCarthy has shown that he can work well with veteran quarterbacks. Aaron Rodgers won two MVPs while playing for McCarthy in Green Bay, and let’s not forget about Dak Prescott, who finished second in the MVP race in 2023 while playing for McCarthy in Dallas. Carr isn’t quite at that level, but McCarty could likely help him elevate his game.
If Carr went to Pittsburgh for one year, he could be a bridge guy in a move that would give the Steelers some time to find their eventual quarterback of the future.
3. Colts or Chiefs
We’re lumping these two teams together for one big reason: They both have a starting quarterback who suffered a serious injury toward the end of the 2025 season.
Let’s start with the Colts. Daniel Jones had a strong season in his first-year with Indianapolis, but it came to a painful end in December when he tore his Achilles. That’s one of the most brutal injuries in sports and there’s no guarantee he’s going to be ready for Week 1 in 2026. As a matter of fact, if you look at the recovery timeline for quarterbacks, it would be a borderline miracle if Jones were to play in Week 1. Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins both tore their Achilles in 2023 and they ended up playing in Week 1 of the following season, but both of those injuries happened early in the season (Cousins’ injury came in Week 8 while Rodgers tore his Achilles in Week 1. Jones suffered his injury in Week 14).
Not only is Jones’ health up in the air, but he’s also set to be a free agent, so the Colts have fo figure out what they want to do with him, and that’s where Carr comes in. If the Colts decide to re-sign Jones, Carr could sign a one-year deal and be the QB until Jones is ready to play. If Carr has proven one thing in his career, it’s that he can be successful when he has some great offensive talent around him and the Colts have that. They have a solid offensive line, they have one of the best running backs in the NFL (Jonathan Taylor), they have a solid receiving group led by Michael Pittman and they have a solid young tight end in Tyler Warren. This is the kind of team that Carr could thrive on.
As for the Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes is also coming back from a major injury. The two-time MVP tore his ACL in mid-December, and right now, it’s not clear if he’ll be able to play in Week 1. Mahomes definitely seems to be in a rush to get back, but if the Chiefs added Carr, then the Mahomes could take his time in rehab. In this case, Mahomes could circle Week 3 or Week 4 on the schedule and plan to come back then. Carr would obviously take the job knowing that he would only be the starter for the first few weeks of the season, but he would also take it knowing that he’s playing for a Super Bowl contender, which is what he wants to be doing at this point in his career.
5. Falcons
The Falcons feel like a wild card here. For one, it’s highly unlikely that the Saints would want to do anything to help their hated rival and a trade with New Orleans is the only way Atlanta would be able to acquire Carr.
If the Falcons could get over that hump, adding Carr would certainly be an interesting option. The Falcons obviously have Michael Penix Jr., but new team president Matt Ryan was noncommittal when asked if Penix would be the starting QB in 2026.
Ryan told CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones that Penix’s role will be decided by new head coach Kevin Stefanski.
“Kevin’s responsibility is to be the head coach of the football team and he’s going to let you know who our starters are and who our starters are not. It’s not my place to go in there,” Ryan reported during Super Bowl week.
With the Falcons expected to release Cousins and with them being noncommittal with Penix, that certainly leaves the door open for them to bring in a new quarterback. They could look to sign someone like Joe Flacco, but if they can get Carr for cheap from New Orleans, then the four-time Pro Bowler would definitely make some sense.
