The post Drew Brees era hasn’t been kind to the New Orleans Saints. Since his retirement, they are 30-38 and have been the definition of mediocre. The Saints have tried to hang on to their success in the Brees-Sean Payton era, creating one of the worst situations in the NFL.
Newly hired Head Coach Kellen Moore certainly wasn’t their top target this offseason, and that’s because of the organization’s terrible situation. Once again, they rank dead last in cap space at -$51 million and desperately need a rebuild.
Time to Part Ways with Veterans
The Saints have already announced they are likely to part ways with Taysom Hill, and that should be the first of many dominoes to fall. Veterans like Derek Carr, Cameron Jordan, Alvin Kamara, DeMario Davis, and Tyran Mathieu should all be moved.
While the Saints aren’t close to sniffing the playoffs, having stars like these guys prevent this team from truly tanking and rebuilding. Parting ways with these players now make the cap situation worse for this offseason, but clears the way for the future and will free up over $115 million in cap space for the 2026 offseason.
While fans may want to see players like Kamara and Jordan be career Saints, it’s the only way to clear a path for the future.
The QB Situation
With Carr likely gone all signs point to the Saints rolling with fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler for the 2025 season. Rattler played in seven games as a rookie and posted 1,317 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions and lost all seven of those games. More likely than not, Rattler isn’t the quarterback of the future in New Orleans, but he’s the perfect player to start next season.
If Rattler gets a chance to be the full-time starter, you get a true evaluation of him as a player. And with a QB-guru in Kellen Moore, you can make a fully informed decision. If Rattler has a breakout season, great you found your guy, if not the 2026 QB class is loaded with talent.
The gem of the class is Saints legend Archie Manning’s grandson, Arch Manning. But he isn’t the only star. There are also young stars like Nico Iamaleava, Drew Allar, Garrett Nussmeier, Cade Klubnik, and LaNorris Sellers. All players who could be drafted early in 2026.
With a weak 2025 quarterback class, the Saints should have their sights set on the 2026 draft. With the right man under center, New Orleans could accelerate their rebuild.
2025 NFL Draft
So if the Saints don’t go quarterback in this year’s draft, what direction should they go? The simple answer is to take the best player available. If they decide to dump the veterans, they essentially have holes all over the field.
On the offensive side of the ball Kendre Miller hasn’t proven he can be a number one running back. Chris Olave can be a great receiver, but he hasn’t been healthy, and Rashid Shaheed is really just a threat on go routes. Juwan Johnson is likely going to leave in free agency. This draft is loaded with skill position players, and the Saints could quickly retool and prepare for a rookie quarterback down the road.
On the other side of the ball the Saints were just as bad. They ranked 30th in the NFL in total defense in 2024. The Saints could easily lose their top two edge rushers this offseason in Chases Young and Cameron Jordan. They could find a new pass rusher in a deep edge class. Players like James Pearce, Mike Green, Shemar Stewart, Nic Scourton, or Jack Sawyer could be Jordan’s replacement. Even though this looks like the first step in a rebuild, the Saints need to build a foundation in the upcoming draft.
The 2025 Saints
Although tanking is generally frowned upon in sports, the Saints need to. They have been fighting to stay mediocre for half a decade now, and it’s time to embrace a full rebuild. It’s going to get worse before it gets, better, but if New Orleans is willing to take the time to rebuild, they could find themselves back on top of a weak NFC South division. In the mean time, it’s time for the Saints to tank for Arch.
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