5 teams that should sell the farm to trade up, draft Drake Maye

Saints need to have a quarterback succession plan

The New Orleans Saints were a bit spoiled that they had Drew Brees at quarterback. He is the NFL's all-time leading passer and a surefire, first-ballot Hall of Famer. Since his retirement after the 2020 season, the Saints have been unable to find a suitable replacement. They tried Jameis Winston, Taysom Hill, Trevor Siemian, Ian Book, and Andy Dalton as their starting quarterback, but none in particular stood out as legitimate starting options.

Earlier this year, the team seemingly capitalized by signing Derek Carr, who was released by the Las Vegas Raiders, led by the Josh McDaniels-Dave Ziegler regime. The Saints signed Carr to a four-year, $150 million contract, feeling confident they found their answer at the quarterback position for the foreseeable future. This season, however, has not gone to plan.

Carr hasn't been able to do as much as he could with an offense containing playmakers like Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave, and Michael Thomas. The team is 6-7 after Week 14 and is tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons for first place in the NFC South. The fans are letting Carr hear about their displeasure with his play, as evidenced by him getting booed at home when he ran onto the field.

Through 13 games, Carr recorded 2,880 passing yards, 13 passing touchdowns, and seven interceptions on a 66.4 completion percentage.

The Saints have long needed a young quarterback waiting in the wings. But with Maye, they could have a legitimate starter as soon as he's drafted and be their answer at the position for the foreseeable future.