With Joe Burrow down with an injury that'll sideline him until late in the regular season, and with Jake Browning struggling in his four games as the starter, the Cincinnati Bengals needed to make a change to their starting quarterback.
They finally landed on adding Joe Flacco from the division rival Cleveland Browns to be their new starting quarterback. While this move was an interesting one, the Bengals could've made an even more interesting deal this week.
According to a report from NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, the Bengals made three different trade inquiries ahead of landing on Flacco. Two of those quarterbacks aren't unexpected, but the third was a fascinating and unlikely trade target for Cincinnati.
The Bengals reached out to the Saints about a fascinating quarterback trade target
Rapoport reports that the Bengals called about Sam Howell and Davis Mills, both of whom are the third quarterbacks on their teams' depth charts. They don't have the resume of Flacco, but are younger and could be interesting pickups.
The #Bengals’ exhaustive QB search including calling nearly all teams with 3 QBs or a viable PS option. Among the names they inquired about: Davis Mills, Sam Howell and Derek Carr, who is still retired with the #Saints. No call on Ryan Tannehill, who hasn’t played since 2023. https://t.co/yLdFJJcq51
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 12, 2025
But the Bengals also called the New Orleans Saints to inquire about retired veteran quarterback Derek Carr. Cincinnati was weighing a Carr trade before landing on Flacco.
Acquiring Carr would've been a tricky deal to make, since the veteran quarterback is not just retired, but his contract is a very difficult one to trade.
In the offseason, the Saints restructured Carr's deal, saving them $30.9 million in cap space for 2025, but also tying the veteran quarterback to the team for this season. His 2026 cap hit will be $69.2 million, making him a very tricky player to trade away or trade for.
But, while Flacco has plenty of accolades in his long career, Carr would've been a much more interesting pickup for the Bengals to make. For starters, Flacco is 40 years old, while Carr is only 34.
More: Cincinnati Bengals acquiring Joe Flacco in trade with Cleveland Browns
Before retiring ahead of the 2025 NFL season, Carr was a four-time Pro Bowler who played 11 years in the NFL between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Saints.
He threw for 41,245 passing yards and 257 touchdowns with 112 interceptions. He was the 3rd-place MVP vote getter in 2016 when he threw for 3,937 yards and 28 touchdowns with six interceptions en route to a 12-3 record.
But, in his most recent season in 2024, Carr went 5-5 and threw for 2,145 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions on 279 attempts. He was a solid player in his final NFL season, but he only played in 10 games before not seeing the field again and retiring in the offseason.
Trading for Carr, to bring him out of retirement to keep the Bengals' season alive, would've been a very interesting deal to make. Between the compensation and the monetary complications, it wasn't likely, but their interest in Carr is fascinating.
Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and the rest of the Bengals offense will have Flacco in at quarterback to stay alive in the AFC North. But, there was a chance that Derek Carr could've been the new quarterback leading the charge, which would've been a wild development for Cincinnati.
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