NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport says the Bengals’ exhaustive search for a new quarterback last week led them to call the Saints about QB Derek Carr, who is on the team’s retired list.
Rapoport says the Bengals essentially inquired with any team that had more than two quarterbacks, mentioning Texans QB Davis Mills was the subject of inquiries. Cincinnati also asked about Seahawks QB Drew Lock and Eagles QB Sam Howell.
Carr retired this offseason after a shoulder injury complicated his outlook with New Orleans. He hasn’t ruled out a return to the league but seems to be enjoying retirement so far. The Saints still control his contract rights and would have to trade him to another team for him to play if he unretired.
Rapoport also mentions the Bengals did not check in on veteran QB Ryan Tannehill, who’s available as a free agent, because Tannehill hasn’t played since 2023 and the team wanted someone who had played more recently.
Ultimately, the Bengals settled on a deal for QB Joe Flacco, who will start for them today.
Carr, 34, is a former second-round pick of the Raiders back in 2014. He was in the final year of his contract when the Raiders signed him to a five-year, $125 million extension that included $70 million guaranteed in 2017.
Carr stood to make a base salary of $19.77 million in the final year of his contract and was set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2023 when he signed a three-year, $121.5 million extension.
However, the Raiders released Carr the following season, and he signed a four-year, $150 million deal with the Saints.
He was due a base salary of $40 million and $50 million in total in the final year of his contract in 2026.
In 2024, Carr appeared in ten games for the Saints and completed 68.1 percent of his passes for 1,926 yards, 14 touchdowns, and four interceptions.
For his career, Carr appeared in 169 total games for the Raiders and Saints for a career record of 77-92. He completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 41,245 yards to go along with 257 touchdowns and 112 interceptions.
Tannehill, 36, is a former first-round pick of the Dolphins back in 2012. After six seasons, Miami traded Tannehill to the Titans in 2019 for draft compensation.
As a part of the trade, Tannehill reworked his contract to a one-year, $1.875 million deal with the potential for more incentives. He then signed a four-year, $118 million deal in 2020.
Tannehill was set to make a base salary of $24.5 million in 2021 when he restructured his deal. He made $27 million in the final year of his deal in 2023 and became an unrestricted free agent in 2024.
In 2023, Tannehill appeared in 10 games for the Titans and completed 64.8 percent of his passes for 1,616 yards, four touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also added 74 rushing yards on 14 carries and an additional touchdown.
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