NFL
Top Seven Veteran Quarterback Best Option that the New Orleans Saint may Sign After Derek Carr Injury
Top Seven Veteran Quarterback Best Option that the New Orleans Saint may Sign After Derek Carr Injury
Certainly not ideal options, but New Orleans could target one of these available veteran quarterbacks as a backup or spot-starter in wake of Derek Carr’s injury.
Friday’s news that New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr could miss most or all of the 2025-26 season with a shoulder injury has put an interesting twist into the team’s offseason.
Carr, 34, was unlikely to be with the Saints beyond this coming season. However, after a contract restructure, he was almost a sure bet to be the team’s starter for this year. At least he was, before Friday reports that an injured throwing shoulder may sideline him for the season.
Because of that news, New Orleans is a heavy favorite to select a quarterback in either the first or second round of the NFL Draft. If so, it would be the first time since Archie Manning in 1971 and only the second time in the Saints 58-year history that they’ve done so.
New Orleans also has Spencer Rattler, a fifth-round choice in the 2024 NFL Draft out of South Carolina. He has an excellent arm, solid mobility, and some intriguing athletic traits but struggles to read defenses.
Rattler played in seven games last season because of injuries to Carr. In those contests, he completed 57% of his throws for 1,317 yards with 4 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, and 22 sacks. While his play was uneven, at very best, he also had to do it with an injury-decimated offensive line, no backfield depth, and without his top three wide receivers.
If the Saints elect to roll with Rattler and not draft a quarterback, they may instead look to bring in a veteran with some starting experience. This wouldn’t necessarily be to start the year, but instead to provide some insurance and stability at the position.
The choices aren’t ideal, to say the least, but here are the most logical free-agent quarterbacks still available.
Bridgewater technically retired after the 2023-24 season. After coaching a championship high school football team in the fall, he returned to the Detroit Lions as a backup for their short-lived playoff run.
Following Detroit’s loss in the Divisional Round, Bridgewater never publicly stated whether he planned to re-retire or keep playing. An 11-year NFL veteran, he’s started games with five different teams
A first-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft and one-time Pro Bowler with the Minnesota Vikings, Bridgewater managed to revive his career following a catastrophic knee injury in 2016. After a preseason stint with the Jets in 2018, he was traded to the New Orleans Saints.
Bridgewater was with the Saints for two seasons as a backup and started five games for an injured Drew Brees in 2019. He went 5-0 in those starts, completing 67.9% of his throws for 1,384 yards with 9 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
Since leaving New Orleans, Bridgewater started one year each for the Panthers and Broncos before being a backup for the Dolphins, then Lions, for the last three years. Bridgewater has a career completion percentage of 66.4%, throwing for 15,120 yards with 75 touchdowns and 47 interceptions.
While technically not retired, Tannehill didn’t play last year following his release from the Tennessee Titans after the 2023-24 season. He played five years for the Titans, going 39-24 as a starter and taking Tennessee to the playoffs three times with two division championships.
Prior to Tennessee, Tannehill played his first six seasons with the Miami Dolphins. He was a first-round choice, eighth overall, in the 2012 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M. During his time with Miami, he was 42-46 as a starter with one playoff appearance.
In 11 NFL seasons, Tannehill has a 64.3% completion percentage with 34,881 yards and 216 touchdowns with 115 interceptions. He’s made one Pro Bowl, in 2019, and has taken four teams into the postseason as a starter.
Wentz was the second overall choice in the 2016 NFL Draft out of North Dakota State by the Philadelphia Eagles. He was an immediate starter as a rookie, guiding his team to a 7-9 record.
In 2017, Wentz was actually in the league MVP conversation as the Eagles sprinted to an 11-2 start. He had a 60% completion percentage in those games, averaging 254 passing yards per game with 33 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions. A broken ankle sidelined Wentz for the stretch run, as Nick Foles guided Philadelphia through the playoffs and a Super Bowl LII title.
Wentz returned as Philadelphia’s starter in 2018 but was slowed by ineffectiveness and more injuries. He actually averaged more passing yards (279.5) in his 11 starts, but had just a 5-6 record despite 21 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.
Wentz remained in Philadelphia until 2020, but never regained his 2017 effectiveness. He was benched as the starter in 2020 and traded the following offseason to the Indianapolis Colts. He’d be with the Colts only one year, throwing 27 touchdowns and 7 interceptions while throwing for 3,563 yards but going only 9-8 as a starter.
For the last three years, Wentz has been a backup for Washington, the Rams, and Kansas City. He has a career completion percentage of 62.7% with 22,410 yards with 153 touchdowns and 67 interceptions.
An undrafted rookie out of Utah in 2020, Huntley spent his first four NFL seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. He was a backup to Lamar Jackson, but still started nine contests plus a playoff game because of injury.
Huntley wound up with the Miami Dolphins last year. He’d start five games because of injuries to starter Tua Tagovailoa. In 15 career starts, Huntley has a 5-10 record.
Huntley has a 64.6% career completion percentage. He’s thrown for 3,072 yards with 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Originally, Beathard was a third-round choice in the 2017 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers out of Iowa. He’d spend his first four seasons there as backup to Jimmy Garoppolo, starting 12 games as an injury replacement.
Beathard went 2-10 as a 49ers starter. He’d complete 58.6% of his passes while with the team, throwing for 3,469 yards with 18 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Beathard signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars during the 2021 offseason as a free agent.
For the last four seasons, Beathard has seen little action as backup to Trevor Lawrence. He’d see his most action in 2023, starting one contest and seeing several snaps in two others. In those outings, he’d throw for 349 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions with one win.
Succeeding Carson Wentz as the starter at North Dakota State, Stick would eventually be a fifth-round choice in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Chargers. He’s been with the Chargers for all six of his NFL seasons.
Backing up Justin Herbert, Stick has only seen action in six regular season games. One of them was during the 2020 season, when he attempted one pass. The others were the last five games of the 2023 season when he took over for an injured Herbert.
Interestingly, those games in 2023 was when Saints head coach Kellen Moore was the offensive coordinator for the Chargers. Stick completed 63.8% of his throws for 1,129 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. The Chargers lost all five games, scoring an average of 14.2 points.
As far as available free agents, these are the choices folks. No, Aaron Rodgers should not be a realistic option if Kellen Moore and the Saints possess an ounce of sanity. Along with Rodgers comes a narcissistic soap opera and a shadow of the player he used to be with likely demands of a guaranteed starting role. Good luck with whatever team (Pittsburgh) gets that mess.
Another scenario could be a trade for a veteran. If the New York Giants draft a quarterback high, they may look to part with newly signed veterans Russell Wilson or former Saint Jameis Winston. The Cleveland Browns could be in the same predicament if they use a high pick on a quarterback and may possibly move Kenny Pickett or Joe Flacco.
Again, all of these scenarios are less than ideal. If the Saints look to sign or especially trade for any of these listed names, it will probably only be as veteran insurance or competition to Spencer Rattler if they do not draft a quarterback in the first two days.
Source: Athlonsports
“Everyone’s time comes to an end’ Former Saints LB Blast Derek Carr after shoulder injury news
The New Orleans Saints were thrown quite the curveball over the weekend when it was reported that Derek Carr’s 2025 season could be in jeopardy due to a shoulder injury he suffered. It’s worth noting that even before Carr’s injury came into play, the Saints were likely considering taking a quarterback in the first round.
That has led some fans to speculate if perhaps Carr simply didn’t want to play mentor and is saying he’s too injured so that he doesn’t have to be in that role this year or compete with the rookie signal-caller that gets drafted. Former Saints linebacker Scott Shanle touched on this in a recent social media post and unleashed on Carr.
“My two cents about Derek Carr shoulder injury news. If he’s pouting because the Saints are gonna look for a young QB in the draft he’s too thin skinned to be your quarterback and the guys in that locker room deserve better. A competitive person would say it’s time to play so well the young guy won’t touch the field anyways. Nothing is promised to anyone in the NFL. Everyone’s time comes to an end. Nobody is owed anything.
If really injured should be at facility and surrounded by surgery specialists today!
Mrs Benson didn’t pay you 40 million dollars a year to do car reviews on YouTube.
Tough times will always reveal a man’s character.”
Scott Shanle doesn’t hold back when voicing opinions on Derek Carr injury saga
Now it’s worth noting that we don’t know for certain what’s going on here. Saints fans are pretty fed up with Carr so jumping to the conclusion that he’s done with the team and doesn’t want to help mentor a young quarterback could be a result of that frustration. That being said, Shanle speaking up on the matter puts it more into focus and he didn’t mince words here.
The part that really jumped out at me here was “A competitive person would say it’s time to play so well the young guy won’t touch the field anyways” and that’s so true. These guys are crazy competitive and we’ve seen in the past how veteran quarterbacks play their tails off after their team drafts a guy to prove they’re not done yet. Shanle’s comment makes it sound as though Carr does not fall into that category. If Carr is truly injured, however, then playing is not an option for him.
This is just another chapter in the ‘Derek Carr was a bad signing’ book and hopefully soon, the Saints can move on from the situation. Maybe they’ll even find their franchise quarterback in this draft and can move on a lot faster.
INCOMING: Saints Ready to Steal $72 Million Superstar From Dolphins In Massive Trade deal
The New Orleans Saints have made strides in the right direction over the last year or so, but their roster is still rather weak, specifically at cornerback. The Saints traded away Marshon Lattimore last season and opted to let Paulson Adebo walk in free agency this offseason.
Now, they need to turn the either the NFL Draft, trade block, or both in order to land a star defensive back. Luckily for New Orleans, the ideal option reportedly just landed on the trade block.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport recently reported that the Miami Dolphins and superstar cornerback Jalen Ramsey are mutually set to explore trade options for the star.
“The Dolphins and seven-time Pro Bowl CB Jalen Ramsey are mutually set to explore trade options and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he played elsewhere in 2025,” Rapoport wrote in a post to Twitter/X. “While there is no firm deadline on a possible trade, with the NFL Draft 9 days away, completing a trade prior to the draft would make sense — if only so Miami can use the pick or picks they would acquire for Ramsey.”
The Saints worked hard to fix their cap situation this offseason and acquiring Ramsey would take a step in the wrong direction on that front, but he’s a superstar cornerback with the ability to shut down some of the game’s best pass catchers.
The Saints need a No. 1 cornerback heading into next season and it likely wouldn’t cost a huge haul of draft picks to steal Ramsey from the Dolphins. If he’s as affordable as many expect him to be, it would be foolish for the Saints to not throw their name in the hat to land hi,.
Saints Star Alvin Kamara meets with Colorado Running Backs in a bid to bring him to New Orleans
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara sparked talk about possible team interest in Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders when he visited the Colorado Buffaloes’ spring practice in early April 2025.
Kamara, an eight-year NFL veteran coming off a strong 2024 season with 1,493 total yards, was seen giving advice to Colorado’s running backs and spending time with head coach Deion Sanders. His visit led fans and insiders to wonder if he was there to scout Shedeur Sanders, a likely top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, especially with Saints quarterback Derek Carr dealing with a shoulder injury. However, Kamara may have had other reasons for the visit, including supporting his personal trainer, Andreu Swasey, who was recently hired as Colorado’s strength coach.
Kamara Shares His Knowledge with Colorado’s Running Backs
During his visit to Colorado’s spring practice, Kamara took time to share game knowledge with the Buffaloes’ running backs. One key piece of advice he gave was about balancing vision and patience when reading running lanes. Kamara said, “Man, the cutbacks are going to be there. Don’t be so cutback heavy. It always feels like the cutback is going to be the big play, but when you pause the tape, the front side is going to be wide open.” His message highlighted the importance of trusting the design of the play and not always trying to bounce it outside for a highlight moment—something young backs often struggle with.
While Kamara’s visit sparked plenty of speculation about Sanders, it’s clear his presence also brought real value to Colorado’s backfield. With Swasey now on staff and Sanders gaining national attention, Kamara’s connection to the program makes sense. Regardless of what the future holds, Kamara’s advice left a strong impression—and the running backs will carry those lessons into the upcoming season.
Saints set to swing Trade For $57 Million Championship Star To Upgrade Offense
The New Orleans Saints have a lot of positions to address at the top of the first round in the NFL Draft, but the Saints only have one pick to draft with. Because of this, the Saints could get creative as they look to fill the holes on their roster.
Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert has been a trade candidate for the last few weeks, and he should receive a lot of interest during the draft. It’s unclear whether the Saints are going to try to trade for him, but they definitely should.
Moe Moton of Bleacher Report recently cited a few NFL insiders as they predicted Goedert would be traded to the Indianapolis Colts.
“Multiple reporters have discussed Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert as someone who could be on the move this offseason,” Moton wrote. “According to NFL insider Josina Anderson, the Eagles are “holding out hope for at least a 4th-round pick” in exchange for Goedert. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo also mentioned Goedert as a trade candidate to monitor nearing the draft.”
While Moton might feel like the Colts are the best fit for the Eagles tight end, the Saints could be a darkhorse in the trade sweepstakes for Goedert.
New Orleans brought Juwan Johnson back this offseason, but if it can pick up Goedert for a fifth or sixth round pick, the Saints would be foolish not to.
With Derek Carr likely out for the season, the Saints need as much firepower on offense for whichever quarterback takes over. If this includes making trades for talented wide receivers or tight ends, the Saints should at least consider it.
NFL
New Orleans Saints Amongst Favourite to Land Shedeur Sanders’ in NFL Draft Landing Spots as New Team Emerge
New Orleans Saints Amongst Favourite to Land Shedeur Sanders’ in NFL Draft Landing Spots as New Team Emerge
Three teams are beginning to stand out as frontrunners for selecting former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Following months of meetings, showcases and other tells, three teams have emerged as definitive frontrunners to select former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Tennessee Titans own the No. 1 overall pick and appear likely to select former Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward. Most of the latest NFL mock drafts have Ward going No. 1 as the Titans’ interest in Sanders has seemingly dwindled. While the Titans were still well represented at the Colorado Buffaloes’ pro day earlier this month, coach Brian Callahan didn’t attend. Soon after, Sanders and the Titans agreed to cancel a previously scheduled private workout.
Read More: DEAL AGREED: New Orleans Saints are now Clear Favorites to Land Shedeur Sanders in NFL Draft
As for the Cleveland Browns, their recent signing of 40-year-old free agent quarterback Joe Flacco certainly complicates things, but it shouldn’t rule out a selection of Sanders at No. 2. Coach Kevin Stefanski still needs a young quarterback to build around, and neither Deshaun Watson nor Kenny Pickett are intriguing options.
“He’s an extremely talented football player,” Stefanski said, per the Browns’ official X account. “Getting to know the kid, you watch the tape, and I think the important part as an evaluator is you want to talk to the players about plays and how he plays. I think he sees the game really, really well and has been raised the right way. They’ve done an outstanding job bringing him along in terms of understanding football. He’s a very, very talented young man, but off the field is probably where I’m most impressed.”
Prior to CU’s “NFL Showcase” on April 4, Sanders and Colorado cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter reportedly had dinner with Stefanski, Browns general manager Andrew Berry and owner Jimmy Haslam.
If Cleveland does pass on Sanders (and likely picks Hunter), either the New York Giants (No. 3 overall pick) or New Orleans Saints (No. 9) will likely benefit. New York recently signed veteran quarterback Russell Wilson, but coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen attended Colorado’s pro day and appear interested in the youngest son of Colorado coach Deion Sanders.
“It’s a little bit cliché, but he checks all the boxes of a (player with a) dad that is a football coach and the passion that he approaches the game with,” Schoen said in February, per Giants.com. “It was good getting to meet him. He’s had a really good career at Colorado.”
Although they’ll need the Browns and Giants to pass, the Saints have suddenly become the favorite to land Shedeur Sanders with current quarterback Derek Carr now expected to miss significant time with a shoulder injury. “Coach Prime,” at least, appears in full support of Sanders landing in New Orleans with the No. 9 overall pick.
Other teams to watch in the Sanders sweepstakes include the Las Vegas Raiders (No. 6) and Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 21). Sanders visited the Steelers last week and will reportedly check out the Raiders this upcoming week.
The NFL Draft is scheduled for April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
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