The 2025 NFL Draft was the story of April. Now, Derek Carr’s retirement could be the story of May as the former New Orleans Saints and Las Vegas Raiders quarterback chose to walk away from the game for good on May 10.
Citing injuries, including a shoulder and rotator cuff issue that surgery was not guaranteed to fix, the decision leaves the Saints with no choice but to go all in on Tyler Shough. However, one NFL analyst isn’t fully convinced that Carr is really done for good.
Ross Tucker Opens Door to Derek Carr Return
Speaking on a May 12 edition of the “Ross Tucker Podcast” in a clip posted on X, NFL analyst and former Dallas Cowboys left guard Ross Tucker opened the door to Carr getting back under center at least one more time before truly walking away for good.
“NFL players do not voluntarily give up $30 million. Nobody does. Which means that the Saints…”
“I'm not 100% convinced that Derek Carr never plays football again…”@RossTuckerNFL gives his thoughts on the Derek Carr retirement news:@LabattUSA #ad MSG 21 pic.twitter.com/t28Sy1w0aF
— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod)
“Number one, NFL players do not voluntarily give up $30 million. Nobody does, which means that the Saints made it clear to Carr and his representation ‘If you just have the surgery and go on IR, we’re gonna fight this. We’re gonna file a grievance because you didn’t tell us in March that your shoulder was bothering you when we redid the contract.'”
According to Spotrac, Carr still had two years left on his deal, carrying an average salary of roughly $37.5 million per season.
“Number two, because of that, I’m not 100% convinced that Derek Carr never plays football again. This might be a financial short-term marriage. We’ll see what ends up happening. I’m not saying he will. I’m just not 100% convinced that he won’t.”
Of course, Carr would not be the first NFL player to un-retire. Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Jason Witten, and Rob Gronkowski are just some of the players who walked away before coming back for an epilogue.
Exploring Potential 2026 Landing Spots for Carr
Carr has a long way to go before getting healthy, no matter which path he chooses in 2026. As it stands, the default outcome is that he remains retired. However, if he gets restless next offseason as someone still in his mid-30s who could come back, one constant is that the NFL needs quarterbacks.
Three teams could be on the table as landing spots: the Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Rams, and Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Steelers have no long-term solution at quarterback. Even if they end up with Aaron Rodgers, it seems clear that he’s in the final moments of his career in the grand scheme of things.
The Panthers talked themselves into Bryce Young for one more season, but if they start slow again, the writing will be on the wall, leaving them with seemingly no choice but to start over at the position.
The Rams are also in a position to potentially need a new starter in 2026 with Matthew Stafford seemingly struggling to choose his fate every offseason.
