Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders
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(Photo by Gaelen Morse/Getty Images)
After spending the 2025 NFL season in retirement, there’s the possibility that Derek Carr could unretire for the right situation, and obviously, one of the teams in the speculation is the Minnesota Vikings.
Minnesota appears to be turning every stone to improve its QB situation for the 2026 NFL season. After inconsistent play from the position, whichplayed a role in the Vikings missing the playoffs last season, the team doesn’t want that to happen again this year.
With the Vikings in the speculation mill on several QBs this offseason, the question is which is the right option to either push J.J. McCarthy for the starting job or take it from him. For former Vikings linebacker Ben Leber, the decision is simple: Going after Carr makes the most sense.
“I think it’s a great option, not only just for Year 1, but I think he’s a guy that, if he ends up having a decent year, I could see him signing a two- or three-year deal here with the Vikings,”Leber said during aMarch 2 appearance on KFAN.
“It buys us a little bit more runway. If they feel like they’re really out on J. J. McCarthy, which is unfortunate because you’re not really giving him much of a leash either. But if Derek Carr plays well in Year 1, I don’t see why you just don’t roll it back in Year 2 and then just figure out what to do with J. J. McCarthy and then just stay in the present, I guess.”
Derek Carr Latest Amid Vikings Speculation
With the offseason underway, Sports Illustrated NFL insider Albert Breer shared the latest on Carr’s situation and whether any teams plan to seriously push for a return to the field.
“I think the interest in Derek Carr is going to be real, and I think Derek Carr is going to be judicious about this. I think teams are going to be quiet about their interest there,”Breer said on theFeb. 26 edition of “The Breer Report.”
“But he does strike me as somebody where, if you’re looking at him versus Malik Willis, or you’re looking at him versus Kirk Cousins, or you’re looking at him versus Tua [Tagovailoa] or Kyler [Murray], and he’s willing to come to you for a reasonable price, I don’t see why you wouldn’t say the guy could be a pretty good bridge.”
Before his retirement, Carr played 11 NFL seasons with theLas Vegas Raiders andNew Orleans Saints, throwing for 41,245 yards and 257 touchdowns,per StatMuse. He also earned four Pro Bowl selections during that span.
Is Derek Carr Fully Healthy?
Nonetheless, Breer added that much depends on how Carr is feeling physically. After missing last season with a shoulder injury, teams will want clarity on where things stand. Even so, if he’s anywhere near the level he showed during his time with the Raiders, a club might be willing to take a chance on him.
“Now, he hasn’t played in a year,” Breer added. “You have to see where he is physically.There’s a lot of things that you have to check out there. But he has had his shoulder repaired nowand he does have a history of playing at a pretty high level.
“So I think he’s a really interesting option for somebody, in a year, again, where you don’t have the depth of quarterbacks at the very top of the draft. And you’re going to have teams that are up there that aren’t going to have an opportunity to draft one because there’s not one worthy of going in that area.”