There have been a lot of notable injuries to start this season around the NFL, and while some teams have been able to overcome them, other teams are falling apart. The Cincinnati Bengals knew they wouldn’t be able to fully replace Joe Burrow once he went down, but they were hoping that Jake Browning would at least keep them afloat.
That hasn’t been the case as the Bengals are now 2-4. They traded for Joe Flacco to try to give them a boost, but they lost again in Week 6. However, Flacco wasn’t their first choice. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, one of the quarterbacks the Bengals reached out to was former Las Vegas Raiders Pro Bowler Derek Carr.
Carr retired earlier in the offseason, but he is only 34. The main reason he walked away from football was due to a shoulder injury he didn’t want to undergo surgery on. That said, after seeing how bad the New Orleans Saints are this season, that may have played a factor in why he retired.
Carr is still under contract with the Saints, but it’s hard to imagine they’d demand a huge return in a trade due to the fact that he did them a solid in the offseason by retiring when he could’ve just gotten surgery and been paid a lot of money just to not play. Clearly, Carr turned down the Bengals, but it is interesting that teams think he could be willing to return.
Why Wouldn’t Carr Want to Sign With Bengals?
The most logical reason why Carr didn’t show interest in going to Cincinnati is likely because he’s still not 100%. He didn’t retire for no reason. His shoulder isn’t right, and it likely still needs time to heal.
Carr’s a tough player, so he might be able to play through it, but it could make more sense for him to come back next season when he’s had more time to get his body right. Plus, the Bengals‘ offensive line is a mess. He doesn’t want to come out of retirement just to get hit every play.
Throwing to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins every play would be appealing, but not enough for him to risk getting hurt again.
Could Carr Return in the Future?
Carr is still young enough to play football for at least a few more years. He even said last month that he’s staying ready.
“I’m still just trying to get that back right from getting the shot and doing the rehab and all that,” Carr said on “The Dan Patrick Show” in September. “So I’m still doing those things. And so I always felt like, even though I’m done, if God wanted me to do it, I’ve got to be ready. I don’t want to go out there and not be ready, you know. So I’ll be ready, but I’m not coming back. Like, right now, today, I’m not coming back.”
Perhaps a better opportunity could appeal to Carr, but it sounds like he’s still trying to get his shoulder right. It wouldn’t be a surprise if a team is able to get him to come out of retirement next season.
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