ClutchPoints
Following another offseason full of roster changes, few teams will look more different in 2025 than the New Orleans Saints. In addition to adding nine compelling rookies at the 2025 NFL Draft, the Saints endured arguably the worst free agency period in the league.
The team’s biggest headline of the offseason was the shocking retirement of Derek Carr, which left them in a state of disarray. Carr’s sudden retirement came shortly after New Orleans drafted Tyler Shough in the second round, a move it made given the uncertainty surrounding the 34-year-old’s shoulder injury. Regardless, the Saints did not plan to start Shough in Week 1, but are now in a position where that is the most likely scenario.
Carr’s retirement was not the Saints’ only loss in free agency. Before watching their starting quarterback walk away, New Orleans lost Paulson Adebo, Willie Gay, Anfernee Orji, Payton Turner, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Will Harris in free agency. Given their current cap situation, the losses outweighed the signings they made early on.
The changes force New Orleans into a difficult situation, particularly with first-year head coach Kellen Moore taking over. The Saints are suddenly facing a potential rebuilding year, thrusting their rookies into a bigger role out of the gates in 2025 than initially expected. Without Carr, the team’s young talent will get more of a look in the offseason than they might have gotten before.
Tyrann Mathieu is unquestionably one of the leaders of the Saints’ defense. But after consecutive regressive seasons in New Orleans, Mathieu turned 33 in May, with red flags of a colossal decline popping up everywhere. The writing is on the wall, and general manager Mickey Loomis responded accordingly in the offseason.
In his first season with the team, Mathieu looked like his old self, recording 91 tackles, eight pass breakups and three interceptions in 2022. However, he has gradually declined since then, posting 75 tackles in 2023 and 62 in 2024. His interception numbers remained consistent, but he received a career-low 60.5 player grade from Pro Football Focus in 2024, placing him in the bottom half of all eligible safeties in the league.
With Mathieu’s decline visible to all, Loomis signed former Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid in free agency. He subsequently drafted the versatile Jonas Sanker in the third round. Reid’s signing largely offsets the loss of Harris, but Sanker seems to be the player the Saints hope will succeed Mathieu.
Sanker did not enter the draft as an elite prospect, but was on nearly every team’s radar as an undervalued mid-round target. With 205 tackles in his final two seasons at Virginia, Sanker is an elite run-stopper with above-average ball-tracking skills in coverage. His 6-foot-1 frame is ideal for the position, allowing him to play with the physicality he loves to enforce.
Ideally, Mathieu will hold down the fort for at least one more season while Sanker gets his feet beneath him. While an intriguing prospect, Sanker is far from...
