Indianapolis stunned fans by calling Derek Carr and posing a daring question about a possible comeback. DH
In the swirling chaos of the NFL’s December frenzy, where playoff hopes hang by a thread and desperation breeds audacious gambles, the Indianapolis Colts have thrown a curveball that no one saw coming.
With star quarterback Daniel Jones sidelined for the season after a gut-wrenching Achilles tear in Week 14, the Colts find themselves at a crossroads. Rookie Riley Leonard and practice squad veteran Brett Rypien are game, but let’s be real: they’re not the cavalry.
Enter the shocking report that’s lighting up sports radio and social feeds alike—the Colts placed a call to Derek Carr, the freshly retired four-time Pro Bowler, with a single, bold question: Would you unretire and save our season?
It’s the stuff of gridiron fairy tales, a Hail Mary lobbed into the unknown. At 34, Carr isn’t some dusty relic like the 44-year-old Philip Rivers, whom Indianapolis ultimately lured out of retirement to the practice squad.
No, Carr is a modern maestro who hung up his cleats just seven months ago after a shoulder injury derailed his Saints tenure. Yet, as whispers from OutKick’s Armando Salguero reveal, the Colts dialed him up anyway, probing for any flicker of interest in a triumphant encore.
This isn’t mere rumor fodder; it’s a desperate pivot for a 6-7 team clinging to wild-card dreams, staring down a gauntlet of Seahawks, Titans, and Giants. Will Carr bite? Probably not this year. But the call alone ignites a firestorm of what-ifs, redemption arcs, and reminders that in the NFL, retirement is just a suggestion.
As we unpack this seismic story on December 11, 2025, we’ll dive into the Colts’ quarterback quagmire, Carr’s abrupt exit from the game, the tantalizing possibility of his return, and what it all means for Indianapolis’s fading playoff pulse. Buckle up, Colts faithful—this bold inquiry could rewrite the script of a season teetering on the brink.
The Colts’ QB Catastrophe: From Jones’ Nightmare to Desperation Mode
Picture this: It’s Week 14 in Jacksonville, and Daniel Jones—acquired in a splashy offseason trade from the Giants—is carving up the Jaguars’ secondary. A 5-2 stretch had the Colts buzzing, with Jonathan Taylor pounding the rock and Michael Pittman Jr. feasting on sideline lasers. Then, the snap. Jones plants awkwardly on a scramble, his Achilles pops like a champagne cork, and just like that, Indy’s house of cards crumbles.
The fallout was immediate and brutal. At 6-7, the Colts sit one game back of the AFC’s final wild-card spot, but their schedule mocks any optimism: a red-hot Seattle Seahawks squad on deck, followed by road tilts in Tennessee and a revenge-soaked finale against Jones’s old Giants squad. Rookie Riley Leonard, a third-round steal out of Notre Dame.
Flashed promise in mop-up duty—65% completion, a touchdown sprinkle—but he’s greener than a St. Patrick’s Day parade. Brett Rypien? A reliable clipboard holder, but his last start was a 2022 forgettable with Denver.
GM Chris Ballard didn’t hesitate. Reports swirled of frantic calls to free agents like Teddy Bridgewater and even a Hail Mary to Tom Brady (who politely declined, citing family time and broadcasting gigs). But the real eyebrow-raiser?
That outreach to Derek Carr, sandwiched between overtures to Rivers and other has-beens. “We needed experience, stability—someone who could walk in and command the huddle,” an anonymous Colts source told Pro Football Rumors. In a league where quarterbacks are kings, Indy’s bold question to Carr wasn’t just a long shot; it was a statement of survival.
Derek Carr’s Sudden Swan Song: From Saints Sidelines to Retirement Reflections
Derek Carr’s 2025 offseason exit stunned the NFL world, a plot twist worthy of a Shonda Rhimes drama. The former Raiders cornerstone, who’d inked a juicy four-year, $150 million pact with New Orleans in 2023, started 10 games last season amid oblique woes, posting a middling 5-5 record with 2,800 yards and 18 scores. But lurking beneath the surface was a nagging right shoulder issue—a labral tear compounded by degenerative rotator cuff changes—that turned every throw into a gamble.
Rather than risk surgery that could’ve shelved him for all of 2025 (and potentially zapping his arm strength forever), Carr pulled the ripcord in May.
“I’ve given everything to this game, but family comes first,” he said in a tearful presser, flanked by wife Heather and their four kids. At 34, with $100 million already banked and a podcast (“Home Grown” with brother David) brewing, retirement felt like liberation.
He’s since dipped toes into broadcasting—nailing a Chiefs-Chargers pregame gig on YouTube—and even teased coaching dreams, responding to a fan query with, “Never say never to anything.”
Yet, the football itch lingers. In a September Dan Patrick Show appearance, Carr dropped the mic: “Retirement’s great, but ‘never’ isn’t in my vocabulary.” Two teams reportedly kicked tires on a comeback earlier this year, per insiders.
Enter the Colts’ call—a velvet-gloved inquiry that caught even Carr’s camp off guard. Sources say the chat was cordial but brief; Carr’s shoulder rehab is progressing, but a midseason sprint? Unlikely. Still, the mere fact of the ring underscores his enduring allure: a pocket general with 257 career touchdown passes, a 65.1% completion clip, and that unflappable Carr cool.
| Season | Team | Games | Comp % | Yards | TDs | INTs | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | LV | 15 | 67.6 | 4,273 | 24 | 14 | 6-9 |
| 2023 | NO | 17 | 68.0 | 4,109 | 28 | 9 | 9-8 |
| 2024 | NO | 10 | 63.2 | 2,800 | 18 | 8 | 5-5 |
| Career | – | 169 | 65.1 | 41,245 | 257 | 112 | 77-92 |
Stats via NFL.com; 2025 retirement abbreviated season.
The Call That Shook the League: What the Colts’ Inquiry Reveals
When the Colts’ war room buzzed with Carr’s name, it wasn’t blind panic—it was calculated chaos. Ballard and HC Shane Steichen, fresh off a playoff flirtation in 2024, eyed a bridge to 2026 stability.
Rivers, at 44 and rusty since his 2020 Colts swan song, was the safe (if surreal) bet: A Hall of Fame trajectory with pinpoint accuracy, now mentoring from the practice squad. But Carr? He offered youth, zip, and that rare intangible: unfinished business.
The conversation, per Salguero, zeroed in on Carr’s health timeline. “We believe he can still sling it at an elite level,” a team exec confided. Hurdles abound—waivers if cut from New Orleans (he’s not), medical clearances, and the optics of yanking a family man from his sabbatical. X lit up with reactions: “Colts calling Carr? Bold AF. Rivers is grandpa vibes; give me DC!” tweeted @nfltrade_rumors, racking 36 likes. Others scoffed: “Shoulder says no, but respect the swing,” from @ZanjiroTV.
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This inquiry exposes Indy’s deeper blueprint. Leonard’s a keeper, but Carr could’ve been the accelerator—pairing his quick-release magic with Steichen’s Shanahan-tree wrinkles. Imagine Carr threading needles to Pittman, bootlegs to Taylor. It’s a fantasy, sure, but one that highlights the NFL’s transient QB market: Desperation forges diamonds from dust.
Why Carr’s Comeback Feels Like a 2026 Tease, Not a 2025 Lifeline
Let’s pump the brakes: Odds of Carr suiting up in Indy this December? Slimmer than a third-stringer’s playbook. His shoulder surgery loomed large, and seven months post-retirement, he’s savoring life off the gridiron—coaching youth camps, podcasting with David, even eyeing a Fox Sports booth. “I’m at peace,” Carr told Peyton and Eli Manning on their podcast last month. But that “never say never” lingers like a deep post route.
The real intrigue? 2026. With the Saints’ cap hell and Carr’s vesting options voided upon retirement, he’s a free-agent gem. Teams like the Browns (post-Watson woes) or Bears (if Caleb Williams stumbles) could pounce. For the Colts, it’s validation: Their QB room isn’t doomed; it’s evolving. Rivers buys time, Leonard gains reps, and if Carr’s flame reignites elsewhere, Indy’s intel pays dividends in the draft war room.
Fan forums buzz with hypotheticals. “Carr in blue? We’d be 9-4 right now,” opines a Reddit thread on r/Colts. Pundits agree: Sporting News dubs it a “desperation play with upside,” while Bleacher Report calls it “the call that keeps GMs up at night.”
Colts’ Playoff Pulse: Can Rivers, Leonard, or a Carr Mirage Carry the Day?
Week 15 looms like a storm cloud: Seattle’s Legion of Boom 2.0, with Geno Smith’s dink-and-dunk mastery, awaits at Lucas Oil. Without Jones, Indy’s offense—top-12 in yards—grinds to a halt. Taylor’s a beast (1,100 yards already), but he needs play-action smoke. Pittman and Alec Pierce stretch fields, but who pulls triggers?
Rivers, if elevated, brings gravitas: 63,440 career yards, eight Pro Bowls. History favors him—44-year-old starts are rare, but Favre did it at 41. Leonard? Raw talent, dual-threat vibes. The dream? Carr’s poise stabilizing the ship for a 9-8 wild-card sneak.
Broader stakes: A win vaults Indy to 7-7, breathing down Miami’s neck. Lose, and it’s tee time for Steichen. This saga—call to Carr included—fuels the fire. It’s not just about one QB; it’s the audacity of a franchise refusing to fold.
Epilogue: The Bold Question That Echoes Beyond Indy
The Colts’ line to Derek Carr wasn’t a plea; it was a provocation. In a league of cap castoffs and injury roulette, it reminds us: Legends don’t fade quietly. Carr’s answer? A polite “not now,” but the door’s ajar.
For Indianapolis, it’s fuel for the fight—a reminder that even in despair, bold questions birth bold futures. As Rivers straps on the pads and Leonard diagrams protections, Colts Nation holds its breath. The season’s script is unwritten, and who knows? Stranger things have happened under these lights.
