While the New Orleans Saints may not be the most quarterback-needy team this offseason, they're certainly among the crowd looking for an upgrade. Derek Carr is getting older and clearly isn't going to lead the Saints anywhere. He's still under contract, but the Saints have a potential out this season, where they'd take on over $50 million in dead cap for 2025.
It's a steep price, but one New Orleans may look to bite the bullet on if they want to begin their full-fledged rebuild. Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report had a rather interesting thought regarding the Saints' quarterback situation, as he named them among the top landing spots for Sam Darnold this offseason.
We might as well deal with the elephant in the room where the New Orleans Saints and Darnold are concerned. The Saints have the worst salary cap situation in the league—the team is well over $50 million in the red. They also have Derek Carr (who, in a parallel dimension, is Sam Darnold's older brother) under contract for two more years with a cap hit in 2025 north of $51 million.
The Saints have been known to disregard the salary cap and operate well over the limit. Darnold, who is coming off of a career year with the Minnesota Vikings, may have lowered his price after a disappointing performance in the Wild Card round. Darnold finished the regular season throwing for 4,319 yards with 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, but came back down to Earth over the final two games of the season.
While the Saints are desperate for an upgrade at quarterback, they shouldn't be this desperate. Darnold will have better suitors elsewhere, while New Orleans can find a cheaper option in another quarterback.
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