Well the NFL quarterbacks market was quiet — until it wasn’t. The Green Bay Packers reached an agreement to run it back with Aaron Rodgers on Tuesday, and, not to be outdone, hours later the Denver Broncos cut a deal with the Seattle Seahawks to acquire Russell Wilson. That takes both of the top passers looking to maybe change teams out of play, so where does it leave the New Orleans Saints?
Let’s put on a brave face. Jameis Winston has to be the favorite to start in 2022, right? But he’s a free agent who should get some offers from other quarterback-needy teams around the NFL. It isn’t guaranteed that he’ll return to New Orleans. So maybe they could consider someone else like Teddy Bridgewater or Mitchell Trubisky. And a trade for Jimmy Garoppolo can’t be ruled out.
If none of those options sound too appealing, well, that’s because they aren’t. The Saints entered the offseason with one of the NFL’s largest question marks at quarterback and now they’ve been left in the cold. They aren’t getting Rodgers (which always felt like a long shot). They won’t be getting Wilson, either (which had quite a bit of smoke to it). It doesn’t seem like any other blue-chip quarterbacks will be on the move. It means New Orleans has to make do with what’s left.
Depending on how you feel about Winston, that may be a good thing. If he does return he’ll be the unchallenged starter and the Saints can really focus on upgrading his supporting cast. It’s also possible the Saints could choose to wait and draft a rookie passer, but that doesn’t feel likely. If anything, it’s beginning to feel like New Orleans is knee-deep in quarterback purgatory after losing Sean Payton and Drew Brees.
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