The Derek Carr era is likely ending in New Orleans. He has a shoulder injury that may or may not lead to him missing the majority of next season. However, that may not stop teams from being interested in the four time pro bowler. Here are three teams who could be in the market for Carr.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers are an obvious destination for a veteran quarterback. They have been heavily connected to Aaron Rodgers, but if that falls through a trade for Derek Carr would make sense.
The Steelers have a great roster for a veteran quarterback. They have a talented receiving core highlighted by DK Metcalf and George Pickens; as well as former third-round pick Roman Wilson. They drafted Kaleb Johnson to pair with Jaylen Warren at running back and have a solid tight end in Pat Freiermuth. In addition, they have one of the top defenses in the league.
Mike Tomlin believes his squad is a quarterback away from being a contender. They have Mason Rudolph and Will Howard, who needs time to develop, currently on their roster. Because of this, grabbing an established, veteran quarterback would be wise. If a deal with Aaron Rodgers doesn’t happen, Derek Carr will be a top option.
New York Jets
The Jets have Justin Fields at quarterback but may not be satisfied. They could do something similar to the Steelers last year and pair Fields with a veteran quarterback.
From a roster standpoint, the Jets are attractive to a quarterback. They have an excellent running back room with Breece Hall and Braelon Allen. Their receiver room isn’t deep, but Garret Wilson can take a majority of targets. They invested a second round pick at tight end with former LSU Tiger Mason Taylor. Both tackle positions were addressed with back-to-back first round picks in 2024 and 2025. This is more than enough for a veteran quarterback to succeed with.
Aaron Rodgers failed miserably in New York. They signed Justin Fields this offseason but still might not be satisfied with the room. This could lead them to possibly trading for Derek Carr.
Cleveland Browns
I don’t think even the Browns know what to do with their quarterback room. They drafted Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, signed Joe Flacco, traded for Kenny Pickett and retained Deshaun Watson, who is out for the year. If they don’t want to start a rookie quarterback, it makes sense to trade for Derek Carr.
Regardless of if they make a trade or not, the spotlight will be on the rookies. They selected former Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round. They doubled down on the position with former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round.
Cleveland would see Derek Carr as a bridge quarterback. He would start until either Gabriel or Sanders are ready. For that reason alone, it makes sense to get him and allow the rookies to develop.