The Saints have hired their next head coach in Kellen Moore. He’s assembled his staff, and the combine is winding down. Next up on the checklist for the Saints is the decision at quarterback and the NFL Draft. We’ll start with the first one.
We asked the staff at 104.5 ESPN Baton Rouge what the Saints should do at quarterback. Here’s what they had to say.
Taylor Sharp, Video Producer, Off the Bench: I would cut Derek Carr. It’s time to rip off the band-aid. You can’t win anything of significance with him, and it’s long overdue for a full Saints rebuild. It would be a huge cap hit this year, but you’re in the clear after that. Roll with Spencer Rattler for a year and then draft your long-term guy in 2026.
Alondra Villareal, Audio Producer, Off the Bench: Paused my vacation to say get rid of Derek Carr. That’s all.
Jacob Hester, Co-Host, Off the Bench: I recently saw the idea of potentially trading for Justin Fields (could be a FA if Steelers don’t pick up his club option). I actually love the possibility of putting a QB with his skill set paired with AK into a Kellen Moore offense. It would be Great Value Hurts/Barkley but still a version that I think makes you immediately better than you currently are with Carr/Kamara
T-Bob Hebert, Co-Host, Off the Bench: The unfortunate truth is that continuing with Derek Carr is simultaneously unpleasant and the most logical path forward. He gives you the best chance of maximizing how good you can be in 2025, and when you combine that with the fact that you’re financially handcuffed to him, there’s simply no reason to move on. It’s a bitter pill, but medicine nonetheless.
Charles Hanagriff, Co-Host, Live at Lunch: The Saints should designate Derek Carr as a post June 1st cut, spreading his cap hit out over two years. Frankly, it’s hard to see how the Saints can get cap compliant without doing something with the Carr deal, and eating the whole thing this year would be difficult. A restructure of another kind would keep Carr on the books into at least 2027, so chopping up the cap hit over two years seems about right.
I would roll with the two young QB’s they have on the roster right now in 2025. The Saints would then know for sure if they have the QB of the future already on the roster. Supplementing them with an inexpensive veteran as insurance (someone like a Mason Rudolph or Jimmy Garoppolo) is something the Saints could probably afford.
If the opportunity presents itself outside the first round to draft a QB, the Saints would have to consider it. I expect Jaxson Dart, a popular choice in mock drafts, to be long gone by the time the Saints second pick rolls around, but I wouldn’t use their first round pick on him. If he’s available, Kyle McCord, the discarded Ohio St quarterback who had a terrific year at Syracuse, would be a very interesting third round pick, where the Saints have two selections.
Jacob Beck, Audio Producer, Hunt Palmer Show: The Saints should either trade or designate Derek Carr as a Post-June 1 cut and start Spencer Rattler for the 2025 season. The Saints are not a playoff contender. They do not have a roster capable of winning a Super Bowl. In fact, they haven’t for quite some time now, but the Saints front office wasn’t ready to hit the reset button, so they decided to be mediocre for three seasons following Sean Payton’s retirement.
Now, after firing Dennis Allen, it’s time to start anew. The first step should be cutting/trading Derek Carr. A trade would be the best-case scenario, but it’s not likely because of his salary and average production the last three seasons. A Post-June 1 cut is the more realistic outcome, which would leave the Saints with $21.5 million in dead money. Not great, but when you backload players contracts as much as the Saints have, you eventually have to pay the piper. Start Spencer Rattler, see what you have in him, and go from there. If Rattler is clearly not your franchise quarterback, draft one in the first round in 2026 and let Kellen Moore do his best to develop him.
Hunt Palmer, Host, Hunt Palmer Show: Derek Carr was brought in to try to save the Dennis Allen era. That’s over, and the franchise is in a different spot now. He doesn’t fit in. Cut him. I’m all about giving Justin Fields a shot on a cheap deal. If not, start Spencer Rattler for 17 games to see if he sinks or swims. If he sinks, the next draft is Kellen Moore’s shot at the next guy. There aren’t any expectations on the 2025 season from anyone outside the building, so take a risk. Carr isn’t a risk. He’s a certainty. He’s old and mediocre. Next.
Matt Musso, Audio Producer, After Further Review: Cut Derek Carr. Start Spencer Rattler. Sign a backup quarterback with starting experience on the cheap. Take a swing in the 2026 on your franchise quarterback in what should be a loaded class.
Paul O’Neill, Video Producer, After Further Review: This one is easy for me. You accept the rebuild that’s coming, take the cap hit by cutting Derek Carr to begin the salary cap reconstruction and ride with Spencer Rattler in 2025. This draft class isn’t strong at QB, so I would take the best player available in the first round to start rebuilding my roster. If you want to take a flyer on another late round QB, I’m fine with that. I would still prefer to use this draft to reload and get younger at every other position. You give Spencer Rattler a full season to see if he can be your future knowing you won’t be that good in 2025. If the Saints decide Rattler is one to build around, then you do it. If not, then you target your QB of the future in the 2026 draft with a potential top 5 pick where the QB draft class will include names like Garrett Nussmeier, Arch Manning, Nico Iamaleava, Drew Allar, LaNorris Sellers and Cade Klubnik. Hopefully the Saints can strike gold with one of those young QBs or move forward knowing Spencer Rattler is the guy and be set for the next decade plus under Kellen Moore.
Matt Moscona, Host, After Further Review: If the objective is to win a Super Bowl, Derek Carr won’t get you there. We have a large enough sample size to know what he is—and what he is not. Carr is a good starting quarterback in the NFL, but he’s not a championship quarterback. He has a higher floor, but a lower ceiling. The sooner the Saints acknowledge this and move on, the closer they are to the ultimate goal. They should cut Carr and bring in a cheap veteran on a one-year deal to compete with Spencer Rattler for 2025. In a loaded 2026 draft class, go all-in and draft your franchise.
