The New Orleans Saints are heading into one of their most pivotal offseasons in recent memory, and they’ve got options-plenty of them. With cap space to work with, a solid stash of draft picks, and a few intriguing trade chips on the roster, the front office is positioned to reshape this team in a meaningful way. While most of the buzz centers around free agency and the draft, the trade market might quietly be the Saints’ best path to making a splash-especially given the current state of the NFL quarterback landscape.
The Quarterback Market Is Thin-And That’s Good News for New Orleans
Let’s start with the obvious: there are a lot of quarterback-needy teams out there, and not a lot of quality options to go around. That’s a recipe for leverage, and the Saints could be one of the few teams holding cards worth playing.
In free agency, the pickings are slim. Mac Jones is expected to return to San Francisco, leaving Daniel Jones and Malik Willis as the only somewhat viable starters on the open market.
Jones, despite a recent Achilles tear and a rollercoaster career, is likely headed back to Indianapolis, a team still trying to find its QB identity post-Andrew Luck. That would leave Willis as the lone intriguing option available.
Now, Willis is a wild card. He showed flashes while filling in for Jordan Love in Green Bay-certainly more than he ever did during his stint in Tennessee.
He’s still raw, but the tools are there: arm strength, mobility, and the kind of improvisational skill set that fits today’s game. Whether he stays in Green Bay to continue developing or lands a starting job elsewhere, he’ll have suitors.
But that’s about it for free agency. If Daniel Jones re-signs with the Colts, Malik Willis becomes the only quarterback on the market with any real upside.
And the draft? It’s not much better.
Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza is the clear-cut QB1 and will almost certainly be the first overall pick. After him, the drop-off is steep.
This isn’t the year to find your franchise quarterback in the draft unless you’re sitting at the very top of the board.
Which brings us to the trade market.
Saints Could Be in the Driver’s Seat
With few realistic options in free agency or the draft, teams in need of a quarterback will have to look at trades-and that’s where the Saints come in. Right now, Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa are the top names being floated, but neither is guaranteed to move. And even if they are available, the asking price will be steep, both in draft capital and future cap commitments.
That opens the door for New Orleans to step in with a more affordable, lower-risk alternative.
Derek Carr is suddenly back in the conversation. After a rocky stint with the Saints that didn’t end the way anyone hoped, Carr is reportedly eyeing a return to the field.
He’s not going to command a king’s ransom, but he’s still a top-15 to top-20 quarterback when healthy. For a team desperate for stability under center, a fourth-round pick for a veteran like Carr could be a reasonable gamble.
Then there’s Spencer Rattler. He didn’t win the starting job in New Orleans, but he’s got traits that will catch the eye of quarterback coaches across the league.
Big arm, athleticism, and the kind of off-script playmaking that’s becoming more and more valuable in today’s NFL. He’s still raw, but the upside is there.
The Saints could realistically fetch a fourth-rounder for him too, especially from a team looking to develop a young QB behind a veteran starter.
Why This Matters for the Saints
This is where smart front offices separate themselves. The Saints don’t need to overspend in free agency or reach in the draft. They’ve got two quarterbacks-one proven, one with potential-that could return meaningful draft capital at a time when the market is starving for talent.
In a year where quarterback supply is low and demand is high, New Orleans has a real chance to capitalize. Whether it’s by flipping Carr for a mid-round pick or moving Rattler to a team looking for a developmental prospect, the Saints are in position to make moves that could pay off both in the short and long term.
It’s shaping up to be a fascinating offseason in New Orleans. The Saints have the flexibility, the assets, and now, thanks to a thin QB market, the leverage. The question now is: how will they use it?