By Ross Jackson
During the annual New Orleans Saints Celebrity Golf Classic, general manager Mickey Loomis met with New Orleans media members for the first time since the conclusion of the NFL draft.
While he again did not give details on the situation around former starting quarterback Derek Carr, who surprised everyone with his retirement announcement during rookie minicamps in early May, he did take a moment to assess his team’s young quarterback room and the coaching staff that will lead its development.
“It’s a young group, enthusiastic. There’s talent there,” he said. “And I think we got a great coaching staff. We’ve got three former quarterbacks with (head coach Kellen Moore), (offensive coordinator) Doug Nussimeier and (quarterback coach Scott Tolzien) in the room with them. So I think that’s a good mix.”
The sentiment around the coaching staff is consistent with Moore’s comments the same day. The Saints clearly feel that with three former passers on their coaching staff that the team has the leadership and veteran experience it needs at the position. Moore and Nussmeier have already proven they can win games with established, young and unknown talent alike in their previous stops.
As for the youth of the current group, which features just seven starts and no wins combined, Loomis welcomes the challenge by focusing less on what the group doesn’t have and instead focusing on what they do have: promise and opportunity. While he isn’t exactly screaming from the rooftops his excitement about the situation, it’s clear that the organizational approach to the position is going to be a measured one.
“I don’t think it’s that rare,” he said. “I think there have been lots of quarterback rooms around the league over the years where they’ve got a young group and they’ve got to develop them. I wouldn’t say it’s ideal, but that’s the hand we’ve got dealt with us right now.”
It’s true that it’s not ideal. The team planned to have Carr in the building as its starter in 2025. Now the room is populated with two rookies, Tyler Shough and Hunter Dekkers, third-year quarterback Jake Haener and second-year passer Spencer Rattler, who seems primed to hit the ground running in the battle.
While Carr didn’t bring much success to New Orleans during his brief tenure, it was still what the team had planned to do. Those plans have now shifted, and the young quarterbacks in the room now have a chance to take the next step.
