ClutchPoints
Following Derek Carr’s sudden retirement, the New Orleans Saints have more work to do than any other team in the 2025 offseason. With a couple of months remaining until training camps begin, the Saints’ current roster state requires moderate changes to be made in the trade market.
Without Carr, New Orleans suddenly has a gaping hole at quarterback. General manager Mickey Loomis took Tyler Shough in the second round, but he figures to be more of a project than an immediate contributor. Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener have starting experience, but neither was successful in 2024.
The Saints’ quarterback issues will be a major question mark through the offseason, but the team has several other holes on its roster. New Orleans lost former starter Marquez Valdes-Scantling in free agency while dealing with the uncertainty of Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and Taysom Hill’s recoveries.
However, the team’s biggest change came on the sidelines. Months after firing Dennis Allen, the Saints brought in Super Bowl LIX champion Kellen Moore as the team’s next head coach. Moore brought the esteemed Doug Nussmeier with him as his offensive coordinator and hired former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley as his defensive coordinator.
Given the offseason turnover, New Orleans has a lot to address before training camps begin. Without a firm direction for their team, the Saints would be wise to start compiling a list of trade targets to add over the summer months.
Kenny Pickett will never be viewed as a franchise quarterback again, but the Saints are nearing desperation mode. They may say they are content with starting Shough in Week 1, but they are going to do their best not to make that a possibility. Even if Loomis and Moore believe in Shough, he is far from ready to be thrust into the fire.
New Orleans would be forced to start Shough without adding another quarterback to the mix. The 2025 second-round pick would not benefit much from “learning” behind either Rattler or Haener. If they want to give him a grace period, the Saints need to add a veteran signal-caller to their roster.
Still just 26, Pickett has 25 games as a starter under his belt. One of them came with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024, where he played for Moore. Though his tenure as a full-time starter did not go smoothly, Pickett has a respectable 15-10 record in his three-year career.
Now with the Cleveland Browns, Pickett is in a precarious situation. The Browns added Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft, the latter owning all the hype and attention that typically comes with a first-rounder. With Joe Flacco also on the roster, the offseason competition will be stiff. The early word suggests Sanders is the most talented of the group, but the Browns are not going to relinquish Gabriel as a third-round pick. One of Flacco or Sanders will likely get the axe during final roster cuts.
If that...
