Saints Kellen Moore connection could provide a cheap Derek Carr alternative

The New Orleans Saints will hire Kellen Moore as their next head coach if given the chance. That comes with an opportunity at quarterback, as well.
Denver Broncos v Dallas Cowboys
Denver Broncos v Dallas Cowboys / Richard Rodriguez/GettyImages
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The New Orleans Saints are the only team remaining on the carousel without a head coach – I guess they just enjoy the ride that much. Mike McCarthy and Kliff Kingsbury removed themselves from consideration for the job on Tuesday night, which surely cannot be a good sign. Kingsbury, McCarthy, Joe Brady, Aaron Glenn and more have all turned the Saints down. That leaves one obvious candidate left if he's interested.

Kellen Moore remains in the postseason, as he's the offensive coordinator for a Philadelphia Eagles team that dropped 55 points on the Washington Commanders last Sunday. Moore has an extra week prior to the Super Bowl, so he has some time to make up his mind on the Saints job. The pros are obvious – there are only 32 of these jobs available, and there's no guarantee Moore will receive such an opportunity again. They also play in one of the weakest divisions in the NFL in the NFC South.

The cons are in the situation itself. New Orleans is in salary cap hell, and they don't have a top-tier quarterback in Derek Carr. The Saints also don't pick high enough to take one of the top-2 quarterbacks in this draft class. If Moore takes the job, he'll want some familiar faces around him and a few guarantees from the Saints front office, like roster control and longevity to implement his system.

Could the Saints replace Derek Carr with someone more familiar to Kellen Moore?

Replacing a player like Carr will be no easy task. The Saints tried out Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener, the former of which showed some flashes but likely isn't a starting QB in this league and can be erratic at times. If the Saints want stability under center, an ideal option would be Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush, who has a lot of experience with Moore and thrived with him in 2023.

Unfortunately for New Orleans, Carr doesn't plan on taking a pay cut. Perhaps they could buy Carr out of his deal at a lofty price, but beyond that miracle, the Saints have to think cheap if they want a realistic second option behind center.

Rush is not a franchise quarterback, nor will he lead New Orleans to a Super Bowl. What he is, though, is a safer version of Carr, and one who can probably be had at a bargain. Rush will know his role going in, and should be thrilled to work with his former OC in Moore on a more regular basis.

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