3 directions the Saints can take at QB position after Derek Carr injury news: Stick with Spencer Rattler

The New Orleans Saints were dealt an interesting blow over the weekend when news surfaced that Derek Carr is dealing with a shoulder injury that could make his availability in 2025 spotty. This means that the Saints need to figure out their plans for the most important position in the sport and they need to do it quickly.

As far as what the team's options are, let's dive into that. What might they elect to do at the quarterback position?

Draft Shedeur Sanders

The Saints own the ninth pick in the draft (at least they do as of this writing) and while the latest trends have Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders slipping in the first round, draft night is always crazy and it wouldn't be surprising to see him go off the board in the top 5 still, especially considering the importance at the quarterback position.

Some mock drafts have had Sanders falling to the Saints at nine. This would obviously be best-case scenario but I'm not sure how realistic it is. This would mean that other quarterback-needy teams drafting ahead of New Orleans would pass on Sanders and that doesn't seem like a likely scenario.

Other mocks have had the Saints moving up to snag Sanders and at this point, what does the team have to lose by going that route? Carr clearly isn't going to be the quarterback much longer (if at all) so why not swing for the fences, move up, and ensure the Saints get their franchise signal-caller?

Stick with Spencer Rattler

When Carr got banged up last season, the Saints gave both Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler a chance to show what they could do. Haener was terrible when given a chance to start so Rattler ended up sliding in as the starter when Carr couldn't go.

Rattler started six games and threw for over 1,300 yards, four touchdowns, and five picks while rushing for 146 yards on the ground. Rattler wasn't great by any means but he was a fifth-round rookie quarterback playing with a lack of talented receivers due to all of the injuries.

At one point, Rattler was expected to be the first pick in the draft before things went south at Oklahoma and it felt like a steal for them to land him in the fifth round last year. That being said, Rattler had his fair share of misses last year and if the team has a chance to get Sanders, that feels like the better route. Rattler hopefully can stick around as a backup though.

Sign a veteran free agent

This would be the least popular option because the free-agent market leaves a lot to be desired. The best name available as of this writing is Aaron Rodgers and that certainly wouldn't happen. Aside from Rodgers, you're looking at names like Teddy Bridgewater (a former fan favorite but not someone the team should bring in to start in 2025), Desmond Ridder, and Carson Wentz. Yeah, a whole lot of nothing there.

The hope is that this Carr injury news is what pushes the Saints front office to be aggressive and go for Sanders in the draft. Even if Carr were fully healthy, Saints fans would still likely be in favor of the move because Carr isn't the future. Sanders very well could be.