The quarterback carousel in New Orleans continues to spin this offseason, as veteran names like Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo get bandied about.
The Saints are 16-18 in the two seasons since Drew Brees retired, finishing below average in both points scored and total yardage in each of those campaigns.
Jameis Winston, Taysom Hill and Andy Dalton have not been the answer, and there is not a ton of hope on the horizon, as a steady veteran signing would be costly for a team already mired in a salary cap squeeze.
Ex-NFL quarterback Jim Everett, who started 47 games for the Saints from 1994-1996, said the current woes lay at the feet of General Manager Mickey Loomis, who did not do a good enough job in securing an heir apparent late in Brees’ career.
“After Drew Brees, it’s been a ship without a rudder, because they’ve just kind of been floating around,” Everett told Compare.bet. “You’ve got to have a plan. Mickey’s got to have a plan from the start. When they moved up and drafted (Marcus) Davenport (in 2018), I thought they were taking Lamar (Jackson) to fill the cupboard. That didn’t happen. You had Drew Brees, and you didn’t have a plan after Drew, and these are the consequences.”
Watching #MNF and still play’n #WhatIf @saints GM Mickey Loomis used the trade up in 2018 for @Lj_era8 rather than DE Marcus Davenport. 👀
As the search for the post Brees QB continues.— 𝒥𝒾𝓂 𝐸𝓋𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓉𝓉 (@Jim_Everett) November 8, 2022
Everett lavished praise on Loomis for his ability to identify talent, but said his long-term strategy has not been adequate.
“On a football team you have a 1-year plan, a 3-year plan and a 5-year plan,” Everett said. “Mickey does such a great job on the 1-year plan. He’s wonderful. He’s maybe one of the best talent (evaluation) guys ever. But the three-to-five? Damn.”
Carr visited the Saints earlier this month in advance of a possible trade with the Raiders, but it did not materialize. He is now a free agent and still seemingly an option for New Orleans.
Saints pursuit of Carr does have similar QB pursuit in Saints history. In 1994 Saints traded for Rams QB Jim Everett. Everett was solid for 2 years B4 bottom fell out of Mora era of Saints. Would it have worked better if Everett was best Qb in division like Carr would be?
— Ralph Malbrough (@SaintsForecast) February 11, 2023
Everett said Carr would be a fit, provided the Saints tailor their scheme to his strengths.
“Derek Carr is a West Coast Offense quarterback,” Everett said. “They tried to put him in the Erhardt system that Tom Brady ran, and it was just too much. Some guys can pick up an offense. That’s why Carr is good with a Gruden-type offense, which is really an old Bill Walsh-derivative. It’s like knowing Russian and then trying to play in a system where you are speaking Spanish. There is a learning curve, and it wasn’t quick for Derek.
“So it depends on the system. If they’re running a West Coast system, I’m all for Derek Carr. I know they are running a West Coast system with the New York Jets. I know the Jets probably want Aaron Rodgers, because he’s used to that system as well. But Derek Carr is No. 2 for that. It’s a system-type situation for these older quarterbacks, and I think if you put them in a brand-new system, you’re setting yourselves up for failure. So that’s my answer (for a Carr-Saints pairing): A strong maybe.”
I asked Everett if the Aaron Rodgers domino needs to fall in order for the quarterback carousel to start moving.
“If I’m going to talk about Aaron Rodgers, I might need to take mushrooms,” Everett quipped. “I need to have some clairvoyant vision for that. Teams are in the dark until Aaron’s out of it.”
"Any team out there looking for a head coach — I don't know why Eric Bieniemy's not being talked about"@Jim_Everett | @sarina | #SuperBowl | @Chiefs pic.twitter.com/SyebFI2FKa
— Bally Sports (@BallySports) February 13, 2023
The Saints are currently $47.4 million over the salary cap, according to Over The Cap, which means more talent will need to be skimmed off the roster this offseason.
Many have expected New Orleans to hit the reset button after the defections of Brees and coach Sean Payton, but so far, that has not been the case. Everett said it was completely understandable to kick the can down the road when Brees was at quarterback, but it’s time to pay up.
“You want to stay competitive and you want to try to win a (Super) Bowl, but you also have to face reality,” Everett said. “There is a salary cap for a reason, and you have to address that. It’s pay now or pay later, and when you’re trying to win it with Drew Brees, you say, ‘Shoot, we’ll pay later.’ Well guess what? It’s later.”
My Top 5 #Saints Quarterbacks of All Time:
1. Drew Brees
2. Archie Manning
3. Aaron Brooks
4. Jim Everett
5. Taysom Hill pic.twitter.com/IueqY51lAe— Michael Balko (@MichaelBalkoJr) February 4, 2023
The easiest way to reboot is by finding a talented quarterback on a rookie contract. However, New Orleans dealt their first-round pick to the Eagles last offseason, robbing them a chance of picking in the top-10.
The Saints acquired the No. 29 overall selection from the Denver Broncos as compensation for Payton,
“For the New Orleans Saints to dip into the $30-to-$40-million-per-year quarterback market, it’s a detriment to improving their team,” Everett said. “That’s my opinion. They really need a rookie quarterback. Will there be one available when they pick? Probably not. But that’s the problem they are dealing with.
“I understand bringing in a serviceable veteran, a guy that can fill the gap. To some extent, I did that role with the Saints for awhile. But being real about where they are, they must find a rookie quarterback to rebuild that salary cap. It’s paramount. There are no two ways about it.”
