Eleven seasons. Two franchises. Two cities for the Raiders, one fresh start in New Orleans. Two hundred fifty-seven touchdown passes in the regular season. Then came the rotator cuff injury, the kind that makes even the most stubborn competitors pause, and in May 2025, the four-time Pro Bowl quarterback stepped away, thinking he had written the final chapter.
However, now a return looks to be on the cards, and a destination for another fresh start also seems to be ready.
PFSN Predicts Cardinals To Sign Derek Carr
Derek Carr is still officially retired. And yet, league whispers have started to sound less like nostalgia and more like possibility. According to NFL insiders Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo, and Tom Pelissero, Carr has fully recovered and would consider returning if the right situation and coaching staff materialize. Which is the equivalent of leaving the door cracked open.
One team keeps drifting into the middle: the Arizona Cardinals, as PFSN predicts. A 3-14 season in 2025 might cost quarterback Kyler Murray his job this offseason, creating a vacancy that feels daunting and strangely liberating. They hold the No. 3 overall pick, but this draft class does not have the kind of can’t-miss quarterback prospect that makes a rebuild feel tidy and immediate.
This is where Carr comes in.
When he retired after opting out of his shoulder surgery, it seemed like a necessary surrender. He spent the 2025 season out of football. Even so, teams kept tabs on him. When injuries rattled quarterback rooms around the league, including Cincinnati’s call after Joe Burrow suffered with turf toe, clubs quietly did their homework. Carr stayed home. He wasn’t ready.
Now, reportedly, he might be.
At 34, he isn’t a decade-long solution. But he doesn’t have to be. For a Cardinals team installing new head coach Mike LaFleur and a Shanahan-style offensive system built on timing, movement and play-action precision, Carr makes schematic sense.
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He’s operated in similar systems before, like when he played with Klint Kubiak in 2024, when the Saints’ offense briefly hummed before injury pulled the plug. In structure, Carr can be sharp, decisive reads, quick rhythm throws, and calculated aggression when the defense cheats. He has a score of 78.3 on PFSN’s QBi.
And unlike some of his previous stops, Arizona has young athletes. Marvin Harrison Jr. projects as an incredible receiver. Tight end Trey McBride has become a dependable matchup nightmare. Michael Wilson provides size and reliability outside the numbers.
There’s also the intangible factor, the why.
Nothing is official. The ink on his retirement hasn’t been erased. Carr did not fade out. He walked away to protect his long-term health. If he returns, it won’t be out of desperation. It would be intentional. Arizona, in the meantime, doesn’t necessarily need a savior. It needs steadiness. Credibility. Carr has seen playoff pushes, coaching changes, relocations, and rebuilds. He understands turbulence.
