Saints next QB after missing on Deshaun Watson is obvious

The New Orleans Saints struck out on Deshaun Watson. Now it’s obvious which way they should go in their search for a new quarterback.

The Saints did their due diligence trying to land a franchise quarterback like Deshaun Watson. They cleared a chunk of cap space. They made a real effort to get him. They just missed out.

So what do they do now?

With the future of the franchise in the post-Drew Brees era still unclear, their best option at quarterback is actually pretty obvious.

The Saints should re-sign Jameis Winston after missing on Deshaun Watson

New Orleans was 5-2 in 2021 with Jameis Winston at the helm. He wasn’t perfect but his turnover woes were limited as he had a TD-to-INT ratio of 14-3 before he suffered a season-ending knee injury.

The Saints know what they have in Winston, assuming his injury doesn’t have lingering effects. They know how to manage his floor and they can dream of his ceiling.

The best argument for continuing with Winston is to simply look at who else is available and at what cost.

Winston could be signed relatively cheaply, allowing the team to invest in other positions with all the space they just cleared. At worst, he could be a stop-gap. At best, he could prove worthy of leading the franchise.

He’s also the best free-agent option available. Anyone else would have to be acquired via a trade.

Trade options are intriguing but no one stands out as worth the hassle.

The jury is still very much out on Baker Mayfield. Unless the Browns want to offload him for a song, he’s not a significant-enough upgrade on Winston.

Jimmy Garoppolo is another prospect who just doesn’t necessarily move the needle. He’s probably as good as the Saints could get via trade in terms of playoff results. However, he’ll require an exchange of assets for a quarterback with clear limitations.

Winston is the obvious choice for now.