3 Derek Carr replacements Saints can afford despite his contract

The New Orleans Saints fell to 5-7 on Sunday with a home loss to the Detroit Lions. The final score is a tad misleading. Detroit won 33-28, but it was 21-0 in the first half. The Lions were in firm control from the jump. It's hard to credit the Saints for the Lions' waffling, a maddening habit Detroit has developed in recent weeks.

Now a full game behind the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South, the Saints are quickly losing their grip on the season. Few quarterbacks have been more disappointing in 2023 than Derek Carr, and that's a loaded statement when one considers the state of QB play around the league.

New Orleans lured Carr away from the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason with an expensive four-year, $150 million contract. Considered the consensus best QB in the division, Carr was supposed to cement the Saints' status as NFC South overloads. Instead, the 32-year-old has struggled to develop chemistry with New Orleans' pass-catchers.

We have arrived at the point where Michael Thomas is posting cryptic tweets, so the vibes are... not great!

As the Saints look ahead to the future, it's difficult to have any confidence in the Carr contract working out. But, there isn't a realistic way out until 2026, so the Saints are more or less stuck with Carr. That doesn't mean it's too early to consider replacements.

Here are a few viable candidates.

Saints could sign Ryan Tannehill as tried and true veteran backup

Ryan Tannehill's days of signing $100 million contracts are over. The Tennessee Titans have turned over the offense to rookie Will Levis, which should mean Tannehill signs with a new franchise in 2024. The Saints may not be able to offer him the starting job outright, but he's a stable veteran presence who can light a fire under Derek Carr.

For all his issues in 2023, Carr is still completing 66.2 percent of his passes with 2,761 yards, 11 touchdowns, and six interceptions through 12 games. He can still sling it for chunk gains and move the ball down the field. His arm strength and résumé, which includes four Pro Bowl appearances, should give him some benefit of the doubt. He's certainly not a great QB, but he's a solid NFL starter.

For the Saints, it's about trying to encourage the most out of Carr. If New Orleans is stuck with him, the Saints need to plan for the future — it's time to draft a QB — but there's also a potential benefit to backing up Carr with another proven vet. Jameis Winston can still get air under the ball, but he's a backup through and through. Tannehill didn't perform up to his typical standards prior to getting hurt this season, with six interceptions in six weeks (and only two touchdowns).

That said, Tannehill has been a full-time starter for a decade, with a Pro Bowl appearance in 2019 and multiple Tennessee postseason runs under his belt. He can give the Saints an alternative they feel good about.

One has to imagine the Saints can get Tannehill on an affordable one-year contract, perhaps with a rookie in the QB3 slot. A rookie can probably learn a lot from Carr and Tannehill in the short term. That said, there's a chance New Orleans simply opts to slot a rookie directly behind Carr.