The New Orleans Saints need to do something about their quarterback room. Replacing Drew Brees was never going to be easy, and the Saints have dealt with an absurd amount of bad injury luck over the season. However, despite the fact that they’re still in the playoff race, the team needs to think about what they can do at the position moving forward.
Top Five New Orleans Saints Quarterback Options in 2022
5. Taysom Hill
Taysom Hill never looked the part of an NFL quarterback early in his career, and the 2021 season has only proven the vast majority of NFL fans correct. The former undrafted free agent is a fantastic athlete but simply doesn’t have the accuracy, arm strength, or processing ability to be a viable option under center.
Of course, this is just my opinion, and the only opinion that really matters is Sean Payton’s. The legendary head coach clearly sees something in the quarterback, so it’s not unreasonable to expect him under center in 2022. After all, if Payton didn’t think Hill had a future in this league, then he wouldn’t have signed him to a four-year deal worth up to $95 million. Maybe he finally puts it all together in his age-32 season, but that’s not a bet the Saints should be making.
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4. The NFL Draft
The Saints chose a bad year to need a quarterback. The NFL Draft is typically the best way to find a cost-effective option under center, as every veteran quarterback is either an underwhelming talent or requires a king’s ransom to acquire. However, this is a terrible quarterback class, and the Saints probably won’t be able to find their franchise quarterback through the draft.
If the season ended today, the Saints would have the 15th pick in the NFL Draft, meaning that they’d probably have to trade up to get their guy. New Orleans has never been shy about trading up for a prospect they like, but it’s hard to imagine the Saints finding said prospect in this class. This is one of the worst quarterback draft classes in recent memory, and it’s probably not worth giving up a bunch of picks to acquire a mediocre prospect.
The Saints should definitely be interested in drafting a Day 2 quarterback and seeing if they develop into anything. However, the Saints shouldn’t be mortgaging their future for the top of this underwhelming class.
3. Russell Wilson
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson hasn’t had the best year, but it’s easy enough to explain away the veteran’s struggles. The one-time Super Bowl champion suffered a finger injury early in the season and clearly wasn’t himself when he first returned. He’s started to show some signs of life over the past few weeks and should be back to normal for the start of the regular season.
From the outside looking in, it appears as though Wilson still hopes to leave Seattle during the offseason. If that remains the case, then the Saints have to try and make a move. Sean Payton is one of the best offensive minds in football and found a way to make a playoff push with Trevor Siemian and Taysom Hill starting for the majority of the season. Imagine what he could do with one of the NFL’s better starting quarterbacks.
"I can't imagine this season has soothed Russell Wilson's thought about playing the rest of his career in Seattle."@peter_king told us Monday what he thought of the #Seahawks scene heading into the #NFL offseason: pic.twitter.com/4KNFLIMLzG
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) January 5, 2022
2. Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers is much closer to the end of his career than the beginning, but the 2020 and 2021 seasons proved that he still has some elite play left in his tank. The disgruntled Green Bay Packer is having a fantastic season and is currently in a virtual tie with Tom Brady for the MVP award. New Orleans might not have the same type of offensive weaponry as Green Bay, but there is no doubt that he could put up elite numbers in this scheme.
Just like Wilson, the biggest problem is the cost of acquisition. The Packers aren’t going to let him go for nothing, and the Saints would have to give up basically all of their available resources just to trade for him and get under the salary cap. Because of this, the best move might just be to bring back an old friend.
You cannot stop Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams pic.twitter.com/El28ki8W8W
— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) December 25, 2021
1. Jameis Winston
Jameis Winston is not as good as Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers. However, he is under team control and proved that he can be a very effective starter in this scheme. Prior to tearing his ACL, Winston guided the Saints to a 5-2 record while finishing second in EPA/play among quarterbacks with 200 or more plays.
Nobody is saying Winston is the second-best quarterback in the league, but the fact he was able to be that efficient with arguably the worst supporting cast in football speaks to his potential in this offense. Bringing back Winston while signing a decent receiver should be enough to make the Saints NFC South favorites, especially with Tampa Bay facing a ton of free agent departures in the upcoming offseason.
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