Ever since hanging up his cleats, Las Vegas Raiders legend Derek Carr hasn’t shied away from admitting that he has no plans to suit up in the NFL again. The most recent reminder came back in September, when he sat down on The Dak Patrick Show. Carr made it clear that he’s moved on from lining up under center.

“I always felt like, even though I’m done, if God wanted me to do it, I got to be ready,” Carr said. “I don’t want to go out there and not be ready. I’ll be ready, but I’m not coming back. Right now, today, I’m not coming back.”

But fast forward to now, and the Raiders’ legend was asked if, when the time officially comes, Derek would sign a one-day contract to retire as a Raider? In his response, Carr admitted that he’d love to do so with the Raiders.

“I would love to do that with the Raiders,” Carr said. “I just don’t know how all that stuff works with me being under contract with the Saints and all that. We haven’t gotten to that point yet.”

Earlier this offseason, 34-year-old Derek Carr caught everyone off guard when he suddenly announced his retirement from the NFL. After spending nine seasons with the Raiders, where he started every single game he played, Carr made the move to the New Orleans Saints in 2023, signing a four-year, $150 million deal.

But things didn’t exactly go as planned. His second season in New Orleans was riddled with injuries, limiting him to just 10 games. By the time the offseason rolled around, Carr was dealing with constant pain in his throwing shoulder. It was the result of a labral tear and some degenerative damage to his rotator cuff.

Surgery was on the table, sure, but Carr ultimately decided against it and chose to call it a career instead. Now, though, talk of him briefly unretiring to sign a one-day contract with the Raiders has started floating around. And while that sounds like a perfect full-circle moment, there’s one major snag: he’s still under contract with the Saints.

In simple terms, until New Orleans officially releases him or permits him to sign elsewhere, Carr can’t put pen to paper with the Raiders, even for a symbolic one-day deal. However, despite having hung up his cleats, Carr has clearly been sharing his thoughts on the Raiders’ trade decisions.

Derek Carr doesn’t want the Raiders to get rid of good players

Ahead of the trade deadline, the Raiders found themselves at the center of several trade rumors, most notably involving Maxx Crosby. Fast forward to now, Crosby remains in Las Vegas, but the team ended up moving a different piece.

On November 4, the Raiders announced they had traded wide receiver Jakobi Meyers to the Jacksonville Jaguars. In exchange, they received fourth- and sixth-round draft picks. Right after that trade went down, Derek Carr shared his thoughts and wished that the WR would’ve continued to play in Vegas.

“I told you this was going to happen last week,” the Raiders’ legend said on Home Grown with David & Derek Carr. “Jakobi can be a No. 1 target guy. You can throw him the ball, he’s going to be open. He can play every down, he can play the slot, he can play outside.

“It’s definitely a need for the Jaguars, so this is definitely going to help them. As a Raider, man, I just wish it would have worked out because I don’t like getting rid of good players… That’s tough for Maxx, too. As one of the older players, as a captain, you see a good player leave your building. It’s never a good feeling.”

While Carr admitted that watching a top player leave is never easy, the Raiders’ decision to move on from Meyers appears to be a calculated one. Under Pete Carroll, Vegas sits at 2-6 and is already slipping out of playoff contention. Trading Meyers, then, looks like a smart long-term play. A move to stack draft capital and build for the future.