The New Orleans Saints just completed their second season with Derek Carr as starting quarterback. Carr played in just 10 games, missing weeks 6 through 8 with an oblique injury and the final four games with a broken left (non-throwing) hand.
In 2024, Carr completed 67.7% of his throws for 2,145 yards with 15 touchdown passes and 5 interceptions. He did not have a 300-yard outing, with his season-high of 269 yards coming in a Week 10 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
During the 2023-24 campaign, Carr started all 17 contests for the Saints. He had a 68.4% completion percentage for 3,878 yards with 25 touchdown passes and 8 interceptions. Carr eclipsed the 300-yard mark six times that season, but the Saints went only 2-4 in those outings.
A strong case can be made that the Saints have no answer at the quarterback position. Carr will turn 34 this offseason and has played 11 years. He can be a serviceable quarterback with the right talent around him and in the right system.
Carr's decision-making, accuracy, and pocket presence are all an issue, to put it mildly. And, it's not like he'll be getting better. This leaves the Saints in no-mans land at the position with no immediate answer.
NFL.com writer Nick Shook suggests one solution. In his article on Wednesday, Shook lists the Saints as one possible destination for Minnesota Vikings QB Sam Darnold.
''This is where assembling the puzzle starts to get difficult. The Saints are in atough cap situation(again), and while they can free up $40 million by tradingDerek Carr with a post-June 1 designation, they'd still be over the projected cap.
If Darnold is going to fetch a decent or better offer, that would probably eliminate him from consideration for the Saints. If money isn't a hurdle, though, anew coach in New Orleansmight like the idea of adding Darnold and marrying his offense with the quarterback.
The Saints are another team that's a little light on weapons, especially ifChris Olave can't get back on the field, making such a partnership more challenging. But New Orleans doesn't have a long-term plan at the position, and at 27 years old, Darnold still has a lot of football ahead of him.'' -Nick Shook, NFL.com
Oh Nick.....(face in palms)
Yes, Darnold had a good year with the Vikings. He completed 66.2% of his passes for 4,319 yards with 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. All were career highs, by far, and resulted in his first Pro Bowl.
Also, consider that Darnold was working with the following in Minnesota:
• Justin Jefferson, WR
• Jordan Addison, WR
• T.J. Hockenson, TE
• Aaron Jones, RB
• a defense that ranked 2nd against the run and led the NFL in turnovers forced
• two highly respected offensive coaches in Kevin O'Connell and Wes Phillips
Give Darnold credit for a good year. But, the question needs to be asked whether this is an aberration or if Darnold finally turned the corner and is at least a serviceable quarterback.
The third overall choice in the 2018 NFL Draft out of USC by the New York Jets, Darnold was a tremendously disappointing bust. In three years with the Jets, Darnold completed 59.8% of his throws for 8,097 yards with 45 touchdowns and 39 interceptions.
In 2021, Darnold was traded to the Carolina Panthers. Two years with the Panthers saw Darnold complete 59.5% of his passes for 3,670 yards with 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He'd leave the Panthers and sign with San Francisco as a free agent last year, appearing in one contest.
Darnold came to the Vikings last offseason with a career completion percentage of 59.7%, 12,064 yards, 63 touchdowns, 56 interceptions, and a 21-35 record as a starter. He was brought in as a backup to first-round rookie J.J. McCarthy. When McCarthy was lost for the year in preseason, only then was Darnold was unexpectedly thrust into the starting lineup.
Darnold likely revealed the quarterback he really is, and has always been, in Minnesota's last two games of the year. The Vikings lost both by a combined score of 58-18, scoring just one touchdown.
In those games, Darnold completed just 53% of his throws for 411 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. He was also sacked 11 times and lost one fumble. While yes, his protection was awful, Darnold also showed the horrendous pocket awareness that has plagued most of his career.
The reality is that the New Orleans Saints would be no better off with Sam Darnold behind center than with Derek Carr. Darnold's age, he'll turn 28 this offseason, is his only advantage over Carr.
Additionally, Darnold will likely command a significant salary from teams in free agency after his performance this season. The Saints would take a significant salary cap hit even if they released Carr. It's hard to fathom them doing that while paying another big contract to a quarterback who is equally mediocre, if not worse.
Yes, the Saints need an answer at quarterback. That answer is not Sam Darnold. Nick Shook wrote about nine teams where Darnold could land this offseason in free agency. Realistically, New Orleans is not included among those destinations and it doesn't take much research at all to come to that realization.
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The New Orleans Saints ranked 30th in total defense this past season. It was a steep plummet for a unit that had ranked among the best in the league nearly every year since 2018. The Saints were awful in nearly every category, ranking 27th against the pass and 31st against the run.
There were failures at every level of the Saints defense this year. Probably the biggest disappointment was along the defensive line. New Orleans allowed an average of over 141 rushing yards per game and 4.9 per carry, worst in the NFL. As a team, the Saints had a fairly respectable 39 sacks. However, only 17 of those came from their edge/end position.
Defensive ends Carl Granderson and Chase Young combined for 66 pressures, but had only 11 sacks and 17 tackles for loss collectively. Future Hall of Famer Cam Jordan contributed 4 sacks, 12 pressures, and 7 stops for loss. Former early round draft picks Payton Turner and Isaiah Foskey continue to contribute next to nothing, combining for 2 sacks and 9 pressures (all from Turner).
Making matters worse, Jordan will turn 36 this offseason, just completed his 14th NFL campaign, and is no longer close to the every down force he once was. Additionally, Young is an unrestricted free agent and may ask for more money than the Saints are willing or able to pay. Young lacks finishing ability, something that plagued the entire unit.
