The New Orleans Saints are in crisis mode at quarterback before voluntary minicamp practices begin this month. On Saturday, Derek Carr retired from the league at 34, after an 11-season career and a shoulder injury that would have required another surgery to repair.
Following rookie minicamp on Saturday, new head coach Kellen Moore said rookie Tyler Shough, Jake Haener, and Spencer Rattler would compete for the QB1 job in the wake of Carr’s retirement. He said leadership would be a huge determinant for the gig.
The New Orleans Saints need a veteran QB
Per John Hendrix of nofnetwork, Moore left open the possibility the Saints would add a veteran quarterback before training camp.
“We’ll certainly have awareness to it,” Moore said. “We’re ready if the opportunity presents itself.”
Kellen Moore (on possibility of adding a veteran to the QB room): "We'll certainly have awareness to it."
"We're ready if the opportunity presents itself."
— John Hendrix (@JohnJHendrix) May 10, 2025
The league has one team with a surplus of quarterbacks this spring. The Cleveland Browns signed Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett in free agency before drafting Dillon Gabriel in the third round and Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round.
The Cleveland Browns have too many QBs
With Deshaun Watson on the roster, the Browns know they will be unable to carry all five quarterbacks (and probably not even four) through to Week 1,
The Saints should get on the phone and see what the Browns want for Flacco or Pickett, two quarterbacks who have Super Bowl-winning experience and can provide leadership for the new regime in New Orleans.
Flacco had an incredible run in 2023 for the Browns, earning the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Flacco appeared in eight games for the Indianapolis Colts in 2024, throwing for 1,761 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
Pickett, the No. 20 pick in the 2022 draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, spent 2024 with Moore and the Philadelphia Eagles. He threw for 291 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception last season. He won his only start for the Eagles against the Dallas Cowboys.
Flacco and Pickett aren’t likely to be long-term solutions for the Saints (unless Pickett can have a turnaround like Geno Smith, Sam Darnold…or Flacco), but they can give New Orleans a better chance of winning games this season than their current group.
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