Kirk Cousins’ departure could throw the Atlanta Falcons into a quarterback crisis, but a 2024 retiree could save the day. Their first-choice QB, Michael Penix Jr., struggled with injury setbacks and inconsistency, prompting the franchise to look elsewhere. Amid the quarterback hunt, a retired former Las Vegas Raiders star has added his name to the mix.

“Would I do it? yes, would I do it for anybody? Absolutely not.” 34-year-old Derek Carr said on a podcast about breaking his retirement. “I told you two things: I’d have to be healthy, and I’d want a chance to win a Super Bowl.”

Derek Carr’s name has emerged as a possible option on the recent episode of Home Grown with David and Derek Carr. Despite never having played for Atlanta, the former quarterback addressed unretiring and joining, but only if a chance to win the Super Bowl was on the cards.

Though Atlanta remains an unlikely landing spot, CBS Sports writer John Breen still linked Derek Carr to the Falcons, calling them “a wild card.” He noted the biggest hurdle: New Orleans, Carr’s most recent team, would likely never want to help a hated rival, making a trade the only path.

The four-time Pro Bowl player yearned to win the Super Bowl like any other football player, but it didn’t happen. He is willing to unretire only if he gets the right opportunity to play for a franchise formidable enough to win the Lombardi trophy next season.

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Although Derek is retired, he could still be under contract with the New Orleans Saints, the team he last played for in the 2024 season. He signed a four-year Saints contract in the 2023 season.

Before the Saints, Derek was part of the Las Vegas Raiders (formerly Oakland Raiders), where he spent nine seasons. Selected in the 2014 NFL second round pick was a rare rookie quarterback to play the season opener for the Raiders.

Besides four Pro Bowl selections, he was an MVP contender in the 2016 season. Under his leadership, the Raiders reached the playoffs twice, in 2016 and 2021, but his dream of hoisting the Super Bowl trophy remained a distant hope.

If Derek breaks his retirement and restarts his playing career, he wouldn’t be the first QB to do so. The legendary Tom Brady initially retired in February 2022, only to come back for the 2022 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Most recently, Philip Rivers unretired and joined the Indianapolis Colts for the 2025 season, but unfortunately, they didn’t make it to the playoffs.

In his final NFL season (2024), Derek had 2145 passing yards in 10 games, a more than decent number. Since he has healed from the shoulder injury, the 34-year-old could make the Falcons playoff contenders next season.

This would be especially good news, considering the Falcons haven’t reached the playoffs since 2017. Amidst his comeback rumors, the head Falcons coach, Kevin Stefanski, must make a key decision on Michael Penix Jr., who had become their QB1 last season.

Michael Penix Jr.’s future as QB1 is uncertain under the new coach

The Atlanta Falcons made drastic changes to their setup ahead of the 2025 season to finally make it to the playoffs after nine years. The franchise hired a new head coach and a new president of football, who are expected to make key changes ahead of the 2026 season.

If Derek Carr is picked by the Falcons, he could be a great option, but their new president of football, Matt Ryan, isn’t keen on relying on their primary quarterback, Michael Penix Jr., whose NFL career has fallen short of expectations so far.

“Kevin’s responsibility is to be the head coach of the football team,” Ryan said during Super Bowl week. “He’s going to let you know who our starters are and who our starters are not. It’s not my place to go in there.”

Before Stefanski had joined the team, owner Arthur Blank had issued a vote of confidence on the QB just last month. But the change in stance explixitly mentioning Stefanski’s choices now suggests that the new head coach has given up on Penix.

In the 2025 season, Penix played 9 games, completing nearly 2,000 passing yards for nine touchdowns. With the young quarterback playing, the Falcons had a series of disappointing results, losing 6 and winning only 3. Eventually, another ACL injury (this time to the left knee) ended his season. He is expected to be fully fit for the 2026 season opener.

Given his injury concerns and the disappointing results from the past season, Matt Ryan and Kevin Stefanski could be skeptical about keeping him as the QB1 next season. Following his injury, Kirk Cousins, who was the backup quarterback, fared better, leading the Falcons to a 5-5 record in his appearances. Besides Derek, Stefanski may look for a new QB at the 2026 NFL Draft or consider the free agency market.