Is Derek Carr really coming back? Four-time Pro Bowl QB tackles retirement reports with surprising honesty

Derek Carr could come out of retirement and that is no longer a closed chapter. Months after walking away from the game, the former Saints quarterback has made it clear that his story might not be finished. Carr, now 34, stepped aside last offseason after a serious shoulder injury threatened to wipe out his entire 2025 campaign. Rather than face another surgery and a long rehab, he chose retirement. It felt final at the time. Yet as quarterback injuries piled up across the league, teams quietly checked in. The Bengals were among them when Joe Burrow went down with turf toe in Week 2. With a thin draft class and limited free agent options ahead, curiosity around Carr has only grown.Before the Super Bowl, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported that Carr would listen if the right opportunity came along. On his podcast, Home Grown With David and Derek Carr, the quarterback confirmed it himself.“Would I do it? Absolutely I would do it. I told you two things. I’d have to be healthy and I would want a chance to win a Super Bowl. Obviously that’s a tough thing to find. That’s hard to do. That’s not easy.”Health is the first hurdle. Carr’s injury was not minor. He dealt with a labral tear and significant degenerative changes to his rotator cuff. At the time, the recovery timeline created real doubt about whether he could withstand another season. Now, according to NFL Media, he has no limitations and is throwing regularly as part of his workouts. On the podcast, his brother David added that Carr is healthy, a detail that only fuels speculation.The résumé is solid. A second round pick in 2014, Carr played 11 seasons, earned four Pro Bowl nods and threw for 41,245 yards with 257 touchdowns. He left the Raiders as the franchise’s all time passing leader. His final season in 2024 was uneven but steady. He went 5-5 as the Saints starter, posting 2,145 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. Those five wins were the only victories New Orleans managed all year.Carr’s career record sits at 77-92. That number tells part of the story, though not all of it. Context matters. So does timing.If a contender loses a starter or believes it is one steady hand away from a playoff push, the phone could ring again. For Carr, the equation seems simple. Health. A real shot at February football. Anything less likely will not be enough.