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- Derek Carr says he remains open to an NFL comeback but would need a special situation.
- Multiple teams contacted Carr about returning, per his Good Morning Football interview.
- Carr, 35, is under contract so the New Orleans Saints would control his NFL rights.
It has been nearly two seasons since Derek Carr last played an NFL game, but the former Fresno State star says the possibility of a comeback isn’t completely off the table.
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Carr, who retired after two seasons with the New Orleans Saints because of a shoulder injury, said Friday on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” that multiple teams have contacted him about returning to the NFL.
“I’ll never say never,” Carr said. “It would take a special situation. Just gauging my interest in what I wanted to do and all those things, and they were good solid football teams.”
Carr did not identify the teams that reached out.
Since stepping away from football, Carr has been enjoying family life in Fresno with his wife, Heather, and their five children. The couple recently welcomed their youngest child, Dayton Cannon.
Carr said his priorities have shifted away from football, though he continues to stay in shape.
“I’m just at the point where I just want to win,” he said. “I want to do those things, and so if I were to do it, it would have to be a special team that maybe lost somebody or needed somebody, but even then it’s not guaranteed. I’m having too much fun hanging out with my wife, hanging out with my kids and trying to get good at golf. I’m always training. I got to.”
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Before joining the Saints, Carr spent nine seasons with the Raiders, where he became the franchise’s all-time leader with 35,222 passing yards and 257 touchdown passes.
If Carr decides to return, the Saints would still control his NFL rights because he remains under contract.
For now, however, the 35-year-old appears content spending time with his family while leaving the door to an NFL return slightly open.
This story was originally published July 10, 2026 at 2:05 PM with the headline “Derek Carr says NFL return isn’t off table, but it would take ‘a special situation’.”
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