Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak announced after the Super Bowl that he would be taking the Las Vegas Raiders head coaching job. Pair that with smoke about Derek Carr returning to the game, and you have the makings of a New Orleans Saints reunion in Sin City. The problem is Fernando Mendoza would probably have something to say about that.
The two met in the 2024 season, Carr's last in the NFL. There, he earned the third-highest QBR rating of his career, with a score of 60.2. They were also a big part of those magical first two weeks of the 2024 season, when the Saints outscored their opponents, 91-29. If the two think that they can recapture that magic together in Las Vegas, there's no reason that the Raiders shouldn't at least consider the move.
Currently, Las Vegas has 10 2026 draft picks. Seven of them are on day three, which would likely be the capital the Saints would ask for in return for Carr. However, even with the reunion being teased by his older brother David, the former Saints quarterback is unlikely to return to his old team. You can thank the Raiders' draft position for that one.
Derek Carr is not returning to the Raiders, even with Klint Kubiak hired
The Las Vegas Raiders finished the 2025 season with a record of 3-14, the worst in the NFL. That put the first overall draft pick in the palms of their hands, and Las Vegas has essentially been on the clock since the end of the regular season. The first overall pick, or more so who it'll likely be, is also the biggest holdup to a Derek Carr trade.
All signs are pointing to the Raiders selecting Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the reigning Heisman winner and national champion. It would honestly shock the world if Mendoza wasn't the starting QB in Vegas next season.
In the past, Carr has said what kind of team he'd like to return to, if he ever did. A Mendoza-led Raiders team does not fit his self-made parameters. For him, he'd like to be the QB1 in town and hasn't mentioned wanting to return to the league for a mentor role.