Quarterback Derek Carr is interested in playing for a Super Bowl contender. The Saints will have something to say about that.
Carr remains on the New Orleans reserve-retired list. He’s not a free agent. He can sign with a new team only if the Saints release him.
Advertisement
The Brett Favre (2008) strategy is available. Unretire. Show up in New Orleans. His base salary would hit the books again. Their options would be to release him or trade him.
The more practical outcome would go like this. First, Carr would find a team that is interested in acquiring his rights. Second, that team would contact the Saints to work something out. Third, if an agreement is reached, Carr would be traded.
Yes, there are elements of tampering included within that approach. But the Saints wouldn’t care. They’d end up getting a draft pick (or two) for a player who has moved on.
The Saints have moved on, too. Tyler Shough is their guy. The Saints won’t want to pivot back to Carr.
Advertisement
It’s a win-win, if someone trades for him.
The Saints also could handle the situation more directly, by granting Carr express permission to talk to other teams in an effort to work out a trade. Regardless, Carr doesn’t have the freedom that he’d have if he’d been released.
He hasn’t been. And while it shouldn’t be a huge issue, it’s still an issue that keeps it from being as simple as Carr finding a team and signing a contract.