New Orleans Saints predicted to add 153-TD Super Bowl Champion QB to replace Derek Carr

The New Orleans Saints suddenly have a massive decision to make on their hands. 

They are entering 2025 with former Eagles OC Kellen Moore as their head coach and he has a strong track record getting the most out of quarterbacks like Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts. 

While nothing was certain heading into 2025, the Saints new coach publicly praised Derek Carr — who has started in New Orleans for the last two seasons — after spending the first nine seasons of his NFL career with the Raiders. 

Carr has never been considered a top five NFL QB, but he’s flashed promise plenty of times throughout his career and during his time with the Raiders, often played at a high level with very little talent around him. 

Ahead of the 2023 season, the New Orleans Saints signed Carr to a four-year deal worth more than $150 million. Carr played decent in his first year with the Saints, finishing the year with 3,878 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions with a QB rating of 97.7. 

The Saints missed the playoffs but finished the year with a (9-8) record after winning just seven games in 2022. So there was plenty of optimism surrounding Carr as the QB for the New Orleans Saints heading into into 2024, and after the first two games of the year he looked like he was poised for a massive season. 

In the Week 1 47-10 drubbing over the Panthers, Carr was fantastic, finishing the game almost perfect, completing 19-of-23 passes for 200 yards, three touchdowns and a QB rating of 142.5. 

The Saints rode that momentum into Week 2 where Carr had another great performance, completing 11-of-16 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns as New Orleans cruised past the Cowboys 44-19. 

But then the Saints lost five-straight games and Carr’s play became more and more inconsistent. The organization eventually fired head coach Dennis Allen and Carr won three of his final four starts before his season ended in early December with an injury. 

Spencer Rattler took over as a rookie at QB and struggled, which led to the Saints losing their final five games. 

So throughout the offseason, the assumption was Carr would be back as the QB for the New Orleans Saints in 2025. After rumors of a shoulder injury began to surface in early April, Carr stunned the NFL world by retiring earlier this week. 

So now the Saints have second-round rookie QB Tyler Shough, Rattler and Jake Haener as the three QBs on the roster heading into 2025, and since it’s clear neither of those quarterbacks have proven they can win in the NFL, there has been speculation New Orleans will add a veteran to replace Carr for 2025. 

PFF believes Carson Wentz, who was the backup for the Chiefs last season and played a major role in helping the Eagles win a Super Bowl in a year where he was on track to win MVP, is the ideal fit to land in New Orleans: 

“Making a play for a veteran signal-caller is the measured approach,” PFF’s Mason Cameron said. “A name like Carson Wentz could prove to be a valuable presence in a young quarterback room. While Wentz hasn’t seen the field much in the past two seasons, he has produced three big-time throws and zero turnover-worthy plays on 49 attempts.”