NFL teams may be tampering with retired Saints QB Derek Carr

Derek Carr is still retired.

But the former Raiders and Saints QB is apparently hearing interest from NFL teams in getting him to come back. And if that's happening, it might be tampering.

The key detail is this: New Orleans can give permission to other teams to speak to Carr.

There's no clarity on whether or not that's happening.

This is what Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio wrote on his website on Friday:

"Carr said on NFL Network today that teams have contacted him about potentially coming out of retirement, and he isn’t ruling it out. Carr did not name those teams, but if they didn’t get permission from the Saints first, they were violating the NFL’s tampering rules. Carr was still under contract with the Saints when he retired, and other teams can’t contact him without the Saints’ permission. The Saints would also likely want trade compensation from any team that wanted Carr."

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Carr's segment on NFL Network also included some insight into what he might be interested in with a potential comeback.

“I’m just at the point where I just want to win," Carr said. "I want to win. So if I were to do it, it would have to be a special team that maybe lost somebody or needed somebody, but even then, it’s not guaranteed. I’m having too much fun hanging out with my wife, hanging out with my kids, and trying to get good at golf. So it would take a special deal.”

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Carr retired in part due to a shoulder injury, but he's conceptually healed up and able to play at this point.

Would a team pursue him as a starter? Maybe not at the start of the season, but maybe there's a run as a Philip Rivers-esque fill-in for Carr.

It'll be a storyline to keep an eye on as the season progresses.

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