New Orleans

Saints

Moore offered lengthy and jumbled commentary on the matter, but ultimately said that “people want good players, so they’re always chasing, to find ways to get good players on their team.” Moore also downplayed concerns over Olave’s concussion history, saying he feels “great” about Olave’s health and future with the team. Olave is currently being drafted as a back-end WR3 in PPR formats and can return significantly higher value if he is able to maintain good health.

It’s a funny quote to say the least, but it also gives us a glimpse into Carr’s mindset as he was deciding on his future. He told Front Office Sports he could either undergo surgery and sit on the sidelines for a year or play through the shoulder issue. In the latter case, Carr said he would not be “near 100 percent.” Between his shoulder injury and the Saints eying up a potential rebuild, retirement made sense for both sides. Carr didn’t sound interested in returning when prompted, noting he was enjoying time on the beach with his kids when his agent asked him if he was still comfortable with his decision. He obviously said yes. Carr also said he would “absolutely” get into the media side of the NFL. All of this is to say Carr shouldn’t be expected to make a surprise return to football at any point.

Bullard has spent the last three seasons with the Vikings, starting 38 of the 46 games he appeared in over that span. The veteran lineman also spent two seasons with current Saints defensive coordinator Brandon Staley (2017-2018) during their time with the Bears, and would bring a sense of familiarity with the system to New Orleans if he were to sign. Bullard totaled 108 tackles and three sacks during his tenure with the Vikings and is more known for his impact in the running game than in the passing game. Per PFF, Bullard hasn’t totaled double-digit pressures since 2019 and has just three sacks to his name over that span.

Underhill described Rattler as being in “total control of the offense” and looked “really, really good” while hitting “throws with a high degree of difficulty.” Now, as Underhill also points out, a second-year player “should look better” than Shough, who was participating in just “his fourth practice with an NFL team.” Underhill does not know whether “this is going to lead to wins, or results,” but declared the competition “rejuvenating” for a team in need of leadership. While neither Rattler nor Shough is likely to produce fantasy football QB1 results, the starter could work his way onto QB2 streaming radar, aided by the Saints’ talented receiving corps.

Saints first-round rookie OT Kelvin Banks Jr. is already taking repetitions at left tackle, which pushes last year’s first-round pick and starting left tackle Taliese Fuaga over to the right tackle position. Penning, who manned the right tackle spot last year, will now evidently kick inside to left guard. Penning has failed to developed into a reliable pass protector through three NFL seasons but respectably earned a 70.1 PFF run-blocking grade last season. The Saints’ offensive line is rounding into form as an above-average unit.

The Saints surprisingly have eight tight ends on the roster, so QBs Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler will still have an ample number of big-bodied targets to target. Mostly, this benefits No. 1 TE Juwan Johnson, who signed a three-year, $34.5 million contract this offseason. He should dominate first-team reps with the Nos. 2 and 3 tight ends sidelined. Both Hill (ACL) and Moreau (undisclosed) underwent surgery to correct their respective knee injuries. Holker was a fun 2024 undrafted free agent prospect, who led FBS tight ends in targets (105), receptions (64) and receiving yards (766) in 2023, clearly benefitting from facing soft competition at Colorado State.

Shaheed had his torn meniscus repaired on October 17th, 2024. The procedure is more involved than a meniscus trim and typically requires a four- to six-month recovery. He passed the seven-month mark last weekend. Olave suffered his fifth recorded concussion on November 3, his second of the 2024 season, and was sidelined thereafter. When healthy, Olave and Shaheed are among the league’s best one-two punches at the wide receiver position.

As Schefter notes, Haener was one of three quarterbacks vying for the starting gig in New Orleans. Haener was unlikely to overtake both Spencer Rattler and second-round rookie Tyler Shough on the depth chart and missing time in practice will put him even farther behind. Per Schefter, Haener is expected to miss the remainder of OTAs but should be back for training camp.

All has been quiet on the quarterback front since the Saints lost Derek Carr to an abrupt retirement. Despite having one of the youngest quarterback rooms in the league, Moore doesn’t appear to be in any rush to sign a vet to help his group of signal-callers. While he did concede that there are times where “the opportunity presents itself” to add a quarterback who is an obvious good fit, Moore also noted that the team has “some good guys here that can certainly mentor each other” this season. Rookie second-rounder Tyler Shough feels like a near lock to win a training camp battle between second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler and third-year quarterback Jake Haener, but a vet could throw a wrench in those plans. Moore hasn’t fully ruled out the team signing a veteran quarterback, but he sounds more than prepared to get a full evaluation of what he has on his roster before making any decisions on another option.

Rodgers and the Saints never made much sense, but for those curious about a possible union between the two, it seems highly likely at this point. Rodgers is 41 and will likely be looking to join a team he views as a championship contender (the Steelers), or he will retire. The Saints also have rookie second rounder Tyler Shough, who is a virtual lock to start in Week 1 barring what would need to be a wildly disappointing training camp. Other veteran options still exist, and could be brought in to play alongside Shough and offer experience to one of the league’s least-experienced quarterback rooms, but it looks like it is still Pittsburgh or bust for the future Hall of Famer.