Retired quarterback Derek Carr doesn't sound like a man planning to return to the field in 2026, barring an unforeseen opening with a top-tier club.
Speaking on NFL Network's Good Morning Football on Friday, Carr said clubs reached out this offseason and wouldn't completely slam the door on a return if the perfect situation arose.
"I'll never say never. It would take a special situation," Carr said. "There were multiple teams that reached out to me this offseason, and I won't say who or how, but they reached out. Just gave them my interest on what I wanted to do and all those things. They were good, solid football teams, but a couple of them in some different situations."
Carr added that any return would have to be with a Super Bowl contender, a refrain he had made well before free agency began. He added that, in all likelihood, his career is finished and that his focus is on his children.
"I think I'm just at the point where I just want to win, man," Carr said. "I want to win, and I want to do those things. If I were to do it, it'd have to be a special team that maybe lost somebody or needed somebody. 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. It would take a special deal, but I'm always training. I got to. I got four boys that can't beat me up when they're 18, so I got to keep training. I'll be in shape and ready, but probably not. I'll probably be just coaching my kids, that's for sure."
A second-round pick in 2014 by Oakland, Carr spent nine seasons with the Raiders and his final two campaigns with the New Orleans Saints. He retired last offseason.
After spending a year out of football, Carr's career is likely over. However, if a devastating injury happens to a starter at any point in the next five months, he'll probably still get a call from a team to gauge his interest in a comeback.
