The New Orleans Saints had a rough offseason, and the folks at Pro Football Focus aren’t holding back their criticism of their underwhelming couple of months. In a recent article, Trevor Sikkema handed out offseason grades for all 32 teams, and New Orleans earned the lowest mark of the bunch. Earning a ‘D-‘, the NFL analyst struggled to find anything nice to say about what Mickey Loomis and company have done since the 2025 league year began.
“Brandon Staley has been hot and cold as a defensive coordinator. [First-round pick] Kelvin Banks will help an offensive line that didn’t have a full-time player earn a PFF overall grade above 70.0 last season, but Derek Carr’s retirement gives the offense a very low ceiling,” Sikkema writes. “New Orleans once again decided not to lean into a full rebuild, and their 2025 projection is that of another 5-12 team.”
Saints Offseason
May 10, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore during rookie minicamp at Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
Saints Earn D- In PFF Offseason Grades
There is no denying that, barring something completely unforeseen, the New Orleans Saints will be bad in 2025. Derek Carr may not have been a true franchise quarterback, but the longtime veteran brought more stability to the position than second-round rookie Tyler Shough and the underwhelming duo of Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener. Additionally, while former head coach Dennis Allen had to go, first-year head coach Kellen Moore will probably endure some growing pains as he inherits a flawed roster with a weak quarterback room.
With that being said, Sikemma’s claim that New Orleans didn’t embrace a long-overdue rebuild isn’t quite true. While the team did spend big on veteran safety Justin Reid and edge rusher Chase Young, they have some relative financial freedom for the first time since the Drew Brees days. New Orleans has kicked the can down the road for almost a decade now, so digging their way out of their self-induced salary cap hell is a multi-year process. This was long overdue, and while the 2025 and 2026 seasons may be hard to watch, it could give them the foundation for sustained success in the future.
Main Photo: Stephen Lew – Imagn Images