Heading into the offseason, the conversation around the New Orleans Saints’ quarterback situation centered on veteran Derek Carr, who seemed locked in as the starter—at least for the 2025 season.
However, recent news of a shoulder injury that could sideline Carr has thrown the position into flux. With his regular-season status now in doubt, the Saints’ front office may be forced to explore alternative options sooner than expected.
Who Are the Potential Replacements for Derek Carr?
Reports surfaced over the weekend that Derek Carr sustained a shoulder injury that may require surgery and could jeopardize his availability for the 2025 regular season. The unexpected development could have major implications for both the upcoming NFL Draft and free agency, as the Saints scramble to formulate a contingency plan.
Albert Breer at Sports Illustrated posits some possibilities. “If Carr’s not the Saints quarterback this fall, I’m not sure who will be,” Breer writes. “They could try to make a late run at (Aaron) Rodgers. It seems unlikely that the Falcons would trade Cousins to a division rival, but New Orleans could make a call on that. Or maybe they look at (Shedeur) Sanders or Jaxson Dart 10 or 11 days from now,” Breer speculates.
Each option is worth taking a look at.
Rodgers, who is supposedly deep in talks with the Pittsburgh Steelers, would be a surprising addition, though not completely shocking. He has yet to publicly commit to Pittsburgh, and the Steelers appear to be waiting patiently. Rodgers could serve as a reliable bridge option for a team likely to target a quarterback with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2025 draft.
Kirk Cousins presents a trickier scenario. The Atlanta Falcons are fierce rivals of the Saints, making any deal between the two teams difficult to imagine. However, with Atlanta committing to Michael Penix Jr., it’s not out of the question that the Falcons could be willing to move on from the expensive veteran in exchange for draft capital.
Acquiring a quarterback in the draft makes the most sense. Regarding Sanders, Breer reports that a recurring them among NFL sources is that, “(Sanders) isn’t a great athlete on tape, doesn’t have exceptional arm talent, and too often does things that simply won’t translate to the NFL game.”
As for Dart, “the coach I was talking to said, simply, that when you watch those two under duress on tape, you see Dart moving forward, and Sanders moving backward,” Breer writes. “That essentially means that where Dart would climb the pocket, Sanders would bail out the back of it, and run away from defenders to create time to throw.”
Another option could be a familiar face: Teddy Bridgewater. The former Saints starter still has something left in the tank and wouldn’t come with the hefty price tag of a Kirk Cousins or Aaron Rodgers.
Regardless of the path they choose, it’s an uncomfortable position for the Saints’ front office to be in just a week and a half before the draft. That said, they do have workable options—it’s simply a matter of picking a direction and committing to it.