Saints, Derek Carr seemingly got bad news during the combine

A report from Monday claimed that people within the New Orleans Saints believe that veteran quarterback Derek Carr will unretire and that the Saints will ultimately be able to trade Carr to a New York Jets team in need of a short-term QB1. 

For a piece published on Tuesday, NFL insider Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom suggested that the Saints and Carr received some bad news during the scouting combine in Indianapolis last week. 

Is there no market for Derek Carr this offseason?

La Canfora wrote that "Carr's return seems unlikely for the 2026 season," largely because "NFL teams show little interest in" Carr's services.

"New Orleans retains his rights, and conversations with multiple teams actually in the market for quarterback upgrades revealed no appetite for the veteran, even despite this college draft being very short on quarterback options and despite the free-agent class being barren as well," La Canfora added about Carr's uncertain future. 

Before Carr retired in May 2025 due to reasons related to a significant shoulder injury, he dealt with multiple injury-related issues across the 2023 and 2024 campaigns. According to Pro Football Reference, the veteran who turns 35 years old later in March ended the 2024 regular season ranked 13th in the league among qualified players with a 60.2 adjusted QBR and 10th with a 101.0 passer rating. Over 10 games, he tossed 15 touchdown passes and five interceptions. 

Will Derek Carr ultimately stay retired?

Back in early 2023, Carr flirted with joining the Jets before he received a four-year, $150M contract with $100M in total guarantees from the Saints. According to at least one NFL general manager working for a club in need of a quarterback, teams may no longer view Carr as a full-time starter. 

"I think you guys (in the media) are talking more about this than us," the general manager told La Canfora about Carr finding a new NFL home this offseason. "The Saints don’t have a market for him. That’s a really bad contract. He’s going to stay retired." 

Back in February, Carr suggested he wouldn't want to play for just any team and instead would "want a chance to win a Super Bowl." If La Canfora is correct, Carr won't be receiving such an opportunity unless a proven quarterback goes down with an injury between now and the start of the 2026 postseason tournament.