Derek Carr linked with AFC North team to replace injured QB

Derek Carr shocked the New Orleans Saints and the rest of the NFL world when he retired from the game ahead of the 2025 season. The veteran quarterback retired due to a shoulder injury in his throwing arm. 

The Saints are now struggling to find rhythm and be competitive with Spencer Rattler under center. Carr hinted at a potential return to the field at some point, but nothing is certain at this moment. 

In 169 games with the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders and the Saints, Carr completed 3,765 of 5,785 pass attempts for 41,245 yards and 257 touchdowns against 112 interceptions. New Orleans wasn’t expected to compete this season, but Carr’s absence only worsened their situation. 

While he recovers from this issue, another team has emerged as a potential landing spot for Carr, as long as his shoulder injury is fine. Several teams are playing without their starting quarterback, and Carr starts to make sense for them. 

NFL insider says Bengals could contact Derek Carr 

In a piece published on Wednesday, NFL insider Jeremy Fowler floated the idea of the Cincinnati Bengals reaching out to Carr to check how his injury is healing, so he can replace Joe Burrow, who suffered a toe injury in Week 2. 

Derek Carr #4 of the New Orleans Saints

“The Bengals still believe in Jake Browning, who was far from the only culprit in Denver on Monday, but Cincinnati has too much skill position talent to accept the status quo,” Fowler explained. “At some point, it could need reinforcements at the game’s most important position. It might be worth calling up recently retired Derek Carr to check on how his shoulder injury is healing.”

Cincinnati is 2-2, with Jake Browning looking average in the last two games. They are still confident that Browning is the guy for the job, but if they continue to play at a low level, perhaps Carr’s phone will be ringing soon.