Chase Young didn’t waste any time drawing a line after the Saints’ Week 1 loss to the Lions.
New Orleans came up one two point conversion short in the season opener, and the tight finish was enough for some to treat the game like a moral victory. Young wasn’t interested in that framing at all.
After Sunday’s game, he told reporters, “this year, we want to win. This year, we’re not gonna take moral victories.”
That kind of bluntness matters in a locker room like this one. Young’s stance goes beyond the usual postgame talk, where players typically avoid leaning into the phrase at all. He stepped forward and made it clear that the standard inside the building is higher than simply hanging around in a close loss.
It also fits the way he’s viewed by his teammates. Young was voted a captain this year, and plays like the one that should have been a strip sack of Jared Goff are part of why fans are excited about him. But it’s his voice after the game that said just as much about the Saints as any snap did.
The bigger picture is a team still sorting itself out. New Orleans has added a lot of talent on offense, while the defense mixes young players with potential and veteran pieces.
There’s still plenty of uncertainty, and it still feels like the Saints are at least a year away. Even so, the standard is already in place.
That’s the point Young was making. The Saints can recognize they played well against Detroit without settling into comfort with the loss.
They’re rebuilding, but they’re not supposed to get used to being satisfied with almost. For a team in flux, that message came through loud and clear.
In Other News...
Saints Just Got Pulled Into A Notable Joey Porter Jr. Rumor
A fresh round of trade chatter has pulled the Saints into the Joey Porter Jr. conversation, with the Steelers cornerback now linked to several teams as his long-term future in Pittsburgh remains unresolved. For New Orleans, the rumor lands in a familiar place: a club that is always watching for help in the secondary and now finds itself mentioned alongside the Cowboys, Bears, Panthers, Giants and Packers in a possible market that could eventually open up.
For now, though, the noise seems to be running ahead of the reality. The Steelers are expected to have options to keep Porter in place, and a 2026 trade is viewed as unlikely if Pittsburgh chooses the franchise tag route and pushes the contract issue down the road. Still, the Saints being part of the discussion is a reminder that whenever a young defensive back with talent and no extension gets unsettled, New Orleans tends to wind up on the short list of teams worth monitoring. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Head To Baltimore With One Officiating Concern Looming
Veteran referee Clete Blakeman will be on the field when the Saints travel to Baltimore for their Week 2 road game, adding a familiar name to a matchup that already carries plenty of weight. Blakeman has worked 16 Saints games and 16 Ravens games over the years, so both sides will know the style and tempo his crew tends to bring into a game.
Last season, Blakemans group was one of the quickest to flag penalties and finished fifth in total fouls, a profile that can shape how a game flows long before the fourth quarter. For a Saints team heading into a tough road environment, the officiating assignment is one more detail worth watching as the matchup unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Quarterback Emergency Nearly Led To An Unthinkable Comeback
When Denvers quarterback situation collapsed after Bo Nixs season-ending injury, the Broncos were scrambling for answers in a hurry, and one of the names that surfaced was a familiar one in New Orleans. According to ESPNs Adam Schefter, former Saints quarterback Drew Brees considered a return to the NFL for the Broncos, with offensive coaches Joe Lombardi and Pete Carmichael reaching out as the team searched for a way to steady the position.
The twist, of course, is how close the idea came to moving beyond rumor before Brees backed away because of wrist discomfort. Sean Payton was not initially informed about those conversations, which only adds another layer to a strange what-if for a Broncos team that briefly seemed to be chasing the impossible. For Saints fans, it is another reminder of how often Brees still sits at the center of football hypotheticals, even long after his retirement. [Read more 🡒]