Drew Brees has seen a thing or two in his football life, and he shared his thoughts on what teams should look for when hiring a new head coach during a recent appearance on “The Herd” with Colin Cowherd. Specifically, the legendary former New Orleans Saints quarterback advocated for coaches with background working on the offensive side of the ball.
While Cowherd’s question focused on the Chicago Bears, who need a new coach to mentor and develop Caleb Williams, much of what Brees spoke about could soon apply to the Saints’ situation, too.
“Whether that’s an offensive head coach or that’s just someone who is really responsible for his growth and development, certainly you need that person,” Brees said. “And look that might be a veteran backup quarterback rather than relying on coach to be that person. At the end of the day what I think and every quarterback would tell you is that early in their career they needed someone to help them develop great habits, great discipline and great process.”
Derek Carr isn’t a youngster at quarterback, but he may not be long for New Orleans, either. The Saints haven’t drafted a quarterback in the first round since they picked Archie Manning way back in 1971, and that streak is going to end sooner or later. It might happen as soon as 2025 if their next head coach doesn’t plan on Carr running the offense.
And if that’s the case? It isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker for the head coach to come from an offensive background in order for a rookie quarterback to develop quickly. Like Brees said, someone needs to be there as a positive influence, whether it’s an experienced backup or a talented position coach.
We don’t know who will be coaching the Saints or the Bears in 2025. But if Brees is onto something here, both teams should be taking a hard look at the environments they’re creating for their quarterbacks, especially if New Orleans turns the page in next April’s NFL draft.
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