The Derek Carr experience hasn’t been exactly perfect with the New Orleans Saints. A new face of the franchise could be heading Carr’s way.
The Derek Carr era hasn’t gone according to plan. Of course, following up Drew Brees was no easy task. However, even from a playoff perspective, the era hasn’t quite worked out thus far.
Derek Carr’s high point with the organization might have come in September 2024. The New Orleans Saints started 2-0, leading some analysts to put them on early Super Bowl watch. However, not much later, the team was out of the conversation entirely amid a sea of Saints backups. Carr finished 3-5 down the stretch and missed time.
The injuries continued a pattern Derek Carr had with the Las Vegas Raiders in which most performances were around .500, and in critical moments, his health would take a hit late in the season. Now, the Saints appear to be kicking the tires on a rookie quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Saints kick tires on notable QB prospect
According to an April 1 report by Athlon Sports, the New Orleans Saints have set up a private meeting with a quarterback from the Texas Longhorns.
“According to a league source, one prospect set to come in for a closer look is Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers. The visit is expected for mid-April. The Saints have shown a considerable amount of interest in him, visiting with Ewers at the NFL Combine as well,” the report stated.
Ewers was one of the cover athletes for the EA Sports video game College Football 25. If that isn’t enough to raise an eyebrow, he also threw for 9128 yards in his college career. In his 2024 outing, he threw for 31 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, completing 65.8% of his passes.
Questions surrounded whether the Saints would go all-in on Derek Carr one more time. With the Saints using one of their Top-30 visits on Ewers, it’s clear that they are at least feeling out the possibility of usurping Carr in the future.
How the Saints could end up with Quinn Ewers
Some have gone as far as calling Ewers a first-round prospect. While his production is impressive from a college standpoint, he might not be a Day 1 starter with the likes of Jaxson Dart, Cam Ward, or Shedeur Sanders. However, he could be a second or third-round pick.
How early the team chooses a rookie quarterback speaks volumes. If they take a player later than the third-round, the odds are high that they aren’t looking to jump the gun anytime soon. However, if they spend one of their top three picks on a quarterback, it will confirm that things are dire for Carr.
The Saints have four picks in the first three rounds, with two in the third round. The third round could be the best time to take a non-critical shot at a quarterback and could be when Ewers is available at a decent draft capital cost.
The Saints have the ninth and 40th overall picks in the draft before that, pointing to other positions. That said, if the Saints use either on a quarterback, Carr would instantly be put on trade watch. In other words, this could be a Dak Prescott taking over Tony Romo situation or it could be a Jordan Love arriving to overtake Aaron Rodgers.
