With all the buzz around Derek Carr returning to football, the New Orleans Saints still need to find a dance partner for a trade. Patrick McAvoy of Sports Illustrated believes Aaron Rodgers retiring could present that partner. Given the likelihood of Derek Carr unretiring, he says the Pittsburgh Steelers are the Saints' "best-case scenario" of trade destinations.
Pittsburgh is a likely and logical spot. They would have plenty of weapons, such as Jaylen Warren, DK Metcalf, and Pat Freiermuth, but no quarterback to lead them. Additionally, placed late in the first round at 21st overall, they're not exactly in the best spot draft-wise to draft a quarterback. That leaves the free agent class, which is full of players that are unproven or that have proven too much.
A proven player who's passed for over 4,000 yards four times and has been named to four Pro Bowls, Carr might just be the Steelers' best option. All they have to do is just call Mickey Loomis and hope he picks up the phone. There's no reason for the Saints to not want this deal to happen.
The Steelers might be one of the few teams that Saints Derek Carr would unretire for
Derek Carr has said that he wouldn't unretire for just anyone. The understanding of the past few months is that the former NFL Pro-Bowler wound't want to unretire just to sit on the bench. He'd have to be a team's QB1 with no ifs, ands, or buts. Said team would also have to be fighting for a playoff spot.
Luckily for the Steelers, of the teams that fit that mold, they might be the best option available. They already have established talent on offense. They also have a winning culture, having made the playoffs 17 times since the turn of the century. This is a double bonus for Carr. Not only does he step into an organization used to winning, he has solid supporting cast to continue that trend.
The trade package wouldn't be a big one, because Carr hasn't played a game of football in over a year. Pittsburgh would only have to send a day-three pick over to New Orleans if they really wanted the former Las Vegas Raiders passer.