"While Carr eventually will land on the Saints’ reserve/retired list, an unretirement in 2026 would likely trigger an immediate release of his rights, given that his 2025 salary of $30 million would immediately hit the cap. At most, the Saints would finagle a late-round pick from a team interested in signing him."

Over the weekend, New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr announced his retirement, citing his shoulder injury that requires surgery that would knock him out for the 2025 season.

There is some precedent for quarterbacks making a return to the NFL at age 35 or older. Tom Brady announced his retirement in February 2022 only to announce his return 40 days later. Brett Favre retired and returned multiple times prior to his final NFL season in 2010. But neither of those situations involved Carr's shoulder injury.