Last offseason, New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr shocked the football world when he announced that he was going to retire because of a crippling shoulder injury.
The Saints quickly moved on to Tyler Shough as their franchise quarterback and they haven’t looked back. But the idea that Carr could come out of retirement began making its way around the NFL world.
On Sunday, multiple reports confirmed that Carr would consider a return to the NFL if the situation was right. This likely won’t come with the Saints, but there are some teams that could use him.
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USA Today’s Joe Rivera recently suggested the Pittsburgh Steelers and newly signed head coach Mike McCarthy could be a potential landing spot for Carr if he comes out of retirement.
Steelers make sense for Derek Carr if he comes out of retirement
“With Mike McCarthy landing in Pittsburgh, a rumored reunion between him and former Green Bay Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been floated,” Rivera wrote. “If Rodgers decides to call it a career, though, Carr could be another option while the Steelers look for their elusive long-term successor to Ben Roethlisberger.
“McCarthy has plenty of regular-season success and a Super Bowl ring to show for it. Now with the Steelers, it’ll be on the veteran coach to find the answer at quarterback. For now, in a division that’s in flux with the departures of John Harbaugh, Kevin Stefanski and the entrance of Todd Monken, Carr might be a shot in the arm for an offense that was among the league’s most middling in 2026.”
The Steelers are seemingly looking to win now. They’ve made it quite apparent that they don’t want to enter a big rebuild under McCarthy, which is why another year of Aaron Rodgers would make sense.
But if Rodgers doesn’t return, going after Carr would work, too.
Carr is a much better option for the Steelers than any quarterback they could land in this year’s NFL Draft. Carr is also a better option than Will Howard or Mason Rudolph. As a result, McCarthy and the Steelers could target Carr, at least as a bridge quarterback, to keep them relevant in the AFC.
The fit makes sense, but only time will tell what Carr decides to do.
