With news of Derek Carr’s injury, New Orleans is suddenly scrambling at the QB spot
The Saints are officially in need of a quarterback. Derek Carr is apparently dealing with a shoulder injury that could threaten his availability for the 2025 season, and at this point, it’s unknown whether he’s going to be able to play when the season starts or if he’s even going to be available at all in 2025.
Carr could end up having surgery on his injured shoulder, but as of right now, nothing has been decided. The Saints used three different starting quarterbacks in 2024 during an injury-filled season for Carr and they’d likely prefer not to have a revolving door at the position for the second straight year.
If Carr has to miss a chunk of the season, that means the Saints are going to need a new quarterback, so let’s take a look at their top options. They currently have just over $27 million in salary cap space to work with, according to Over the Cap, so that could have a slight impact on any potential search for a new QB. Of course, the cheapest way to add a talented quarterback is in the draft and that’s where we’re going to start.
Let’s rank their top five options:
1. Draft a quarterback
The Saints have the ninth overall pick, which puts them in a spot where they could end up landing one of the top two quarterbacks in the draft. If the Titans take Cam Ward with the first overall pick, that will open the door for the Saints to grab Shedeur Sanders. The Saints likely wouldn’t want to mortgage their future by trying to trade up to the second or third overall pick, but if Sanders drops out of the top three, then landing him becomes much more realistic. In the best-case scenario, the Saints wouldn’t have to trade up at all and Sanders would drop all the way down to them at ninth overall, which is what Jared Dubin has happening in his latest mock draft for CBS Sports that you can see here.
If Sanders doesn’t end up in New Orleans, the Saints could wait until Day 2 and take a different quarterback like Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe, Quinn Ewers or Kyle McCord.
2. Convince Aaron Rodgers to come to New Orleans
After getting snubbed by the Vikings, it appeared that Rodgers was only going to have two options this year: Sign with the Steelers or retire. However, he now could have a third option if the Saints are interested in bringing him to New Orleans. At 41, Rodgers would likely only sign a deal that would cover one or two years, so he wouldn’t be the long-term answer, but he would likely make the Saints a contender in the NFC South.
If Rodgers has to choose between New Orleans or Pittsburgh, the biggest thing working in the Saints’ favor is that they’re in a much more winnable division. According to the oddsmakers, the AFC North has two of the top eight favorites to win Super Bowl LX in the Ravens and Bengals while the NFC South doesn’t have a single team in the top 12. Basically, if Rodgers is looking for the easier route to the playoffs, it would probably be with the Saints.
In New Orleans, Rodgers would also have plenty of weapons to work with like Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave, Brandin Cooks and Rasheed Shahid.
Rodgers could make sense even if the Saints end up drafting a quarterback. If the Saints miss out on Sanders and end up with a second or third-round QB, then New Orleans could still add Rodgers as a potential bridge quarterback.
The Falcons and Saints are bitter rivals, so it seems unlikely that Atlanta would send Cousins to New Orleans. However, if the Saints are willing to overpay, they could likely convince the Falcons to part ways with Cousins. The Saints could also just wait it out and hope the Falcons eventually release Cousins. Cody Benjamin actually wrote a piece over the weekend taking a look at Cousins’ options for 2025 and you can check that out here.
If Cousins was a free agent, this would probably be the top option on the list, but since the Saints will have to pry him away from a hated rival to make this happen, it becomes less realistic, but not impossible.
4. Sign a free agent QB and hope for the best
There are several names still available in free agency that might make sense in New Orleans, including Carson Wentz, Ryan Tannehill and Tyler Huntley. These aren’t guys who are going to wow anyone, but when you unexpectedly need a quarterback in the middle of April, well, beggars can’t be choosers. We actually made a full list of quarterbacks who are still on the market and you can check out the names here.
5. Let Spencer Rattler have the job for the season
Rattler started six games last season and went 0-6 in those games, so this might not be the Saints’ best option if they’re trying to win a Super Bowl THIS year. However, if their plan is to tank so that they can get the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, then letting Rattler play might be their best option. If they go that route, that could open the door for them to to land ARCH MANNING in next year’s draft. The Saints selected Archie Manning in the first round of the 1971 NFL Draft and it would be a wild twist of fate if they selected his grandson in the first round of the draft 55 years later.
With Carr’s injury, the Saints have now become one of the fascinating teams to watch in the draft.
