[Editor's note: This article is from Athlon Sports' 2025 NFL Preview Magazine.Order your copy today online or pick one up at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.]
For years, the New Orleans Saints have pushed off that dreaded R word — rebuild — but the decision may have been taken out of their hands this spring.
Quarterback Derek Carr made a shocking retirement announcement in May, two weeks after the Saints selected his potential successor, Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough, in the second round of the NFL Draft.
While the news probably limits what the Saints’ 2025 ceiling will be as a team, it also forces the team to take a more future-centric approach. With Carr officially off the roster, New Orleans will enter the 2025 season with one of three young quarterbacks serving as the starter under first-year head coach Kellen Moore.
More NFL team previews
AFC East: Bills | Dolphins | Jets | Patriots
AFC North:Bengals | Browns | Ravens | Steelers
AFC South:Colts | Jaguars | Texans | Titans
AFC West: Broncos | Chargers | Chiefs | Raiders
NFC East:Commanders | Cowboys | Eagles | Giants
NFC North: Bears | Lions | Packers | Vikings
NFC South: Buccaneers | Falcons | Panthers | Saints
NFC West: 49ers | Cardinals | Rams | Seahawks
For the first time since 2006, when the Saints hired Sean Payton and signed Drew Brees within a few months time, New Orleans will go into a season with a new head coach and a new quarterback. The Saints are desperately hoping for similar long-term results, even if that means going through some growing pains in Year 1.
Offense
Before Carr announced his retirement, there was already some significant doubt about his availability in 2025 because of a shoulder injury that became public knowledge in early April. The Saints also appeared comfortable with the idea of moving on from Carr and his contract after the 2025 season.
All of which led to New Orleans selecting Shough 40th overall in this year’s draft. The plan was to have Carr start if healthy but to hopefully have his successor in the building and ready to play if needed. That plan has now been accelerated.
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
Alvin Kamara
Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
New Orleans has not yet committed to Shough as the starter, and he’s set to enter a training camp competition with two other young signal-callers — Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener, who combined to go winless in seven starts last season.
There is a lot to like about Shough as a player. He has prototypical size (6-foot-5, 223 pounds), he’s an athletic mover who can impact the game as a runner or a roll-out passer and he may have had the best throwing arm in the draft class. But there are reasons he fell to the second round: He will turn 26 in September, and he dealt with three separate season-ending injuries in his seven-season college career.
Whoever wins the quarterback competition will have one of the NFL’s best offensive minds calling plays. In six seasons as a play-caller, Moore has produced four top-10 scoring offenses. He tailored his offense around his personnel throughout that time, most notably during last year’s Super Bowl run with the Philadelphia Eagles, which should help him find some level of immediate success in New Orleans.
It’s not as though the cupboard is bare around the young quarterback. Alvin Kamara proved he was still a dangerous player last year, totaling a career-best 950 rushing yards before a groin injury forced him to miss the final three games. Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed are an electric (if imperfect) 1-2 punch at receiver, and New Orleans added an accomplished veteran in Brandin Cooks to serve as the No. 3 option. The team has invested heavily in its offensive line, and only added to that with No. 9 overall pick Kelvin Banks Jr. in April’s draft.
The Saints undoubtedly have good NFL players on their offense. The problem last year was health: Kamara missed three games, and Olave and Shaheed combined to play in 14. Center Erik McCoy and guard Cesar Ruiz both missed extensive time. If New Orleans can stay healthier this year, the offense should improve — even with a young quarterback under center.
Defense
Another dramatic change to the organization this offseason came on this side of the ball, and it was necessary: Despite benefiting from relatively good health in 2024, New Orleans ranked 30th in total defense.
Moore hired former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley to spearhead the defensive turnaround, bringing in a coordinator who had the NFL’s No. 1 scoring and total defense with the 2020 Los Angeles Rams. He will implement a new base scheme, switching to a 3-4 as well as some different types of coverage ideas than what New Orleans had been playing.
New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis
New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
The Saints traded for a run-clogging defensive tackle, Davon Godchaux, and signed a versatile safety in Justin Reid to help turn things around. They also re-signed edge rusher Chase Young and used four of their top six draft picks on defensive players to inject some youth into an aging defense.
Age is definitely still a concern. Cameron Jordan (36), Demario Davis (36) and Tyrann Mathieu (33) all showed signs of their years last season, and it remains a question whether they can still be impact players.
The secondary is also a concern. The Saints traded star corner Marshon Lattimore midway through last season, then lost another promising corner, Paulson Adebo, in free agency.
Fourth-year cornerback Alontae Taylor has shown signs of being a tremendous playmaker, but the Saints have also struggled to define his role thus far. Second-year corner Kool-Aid McKinstry needs to develop quickly after posting a mediocre rookie campaign.
Specialists
The Saints’ incumbent specialists all should be in line to return, but nobody has great job security heading into 2025.
Placekicker Blake Grupe was solid in his second season, connecting on 27 of his 31 attempts with a long of 57, but New Orleans kept promising Irishman Charlie Smyth on its practice squad all of last year to develop him and could be ready to hand him the job. Smyth has range past 60 yards.
Punter Matthew Hayball won the job last summer and turned in a below-average debut season — though he led the NFL in punts downed inside the 20 (41), he averaged just 40.4 net yards per punt. He will have to win another camp competition.
Shaheed is one of the NFL’s best return men, a claim he backed up last year with another punt return touchdown. But he is coming off a major knee injury and may be too valuable on offense to continue using in the return game. The Saints have nobody else near his caliber on the roster.
Final Analysis
New Orleans had its most acceptable off-ramp toward a rebuild in 20 years this offseason. A last-place finish in the division and a new, young head coach pushed its fan base to accept a couple of potential down years in exchange for a better shot at competing in the future. Instead, the Saints did what they usually do and doubled down, making win-now moves in free agency and the draft.
But the future arrived in New Orleans anyway after Carr’s retirement, and the Saints now have an opportunity. If one of the young quarterbacks wins the job and shows potential, the Saints will have a cheap player at the most important position. If all of them fail and the team craters, there is nothing preventing the Saints from taking another quarterback next season.
Whether it is a good or bad season in New Orleans is suddenly beside the point. There is finally a light at the end of the tunnel.
More NFL team previews
AFC East: Bills | Dolphins | Jets | Patriots
AFC North:Bengals | Browns | Ravens | Steelers
AFC South:Colts | Jaguars | Texans | Titans
AFC West: Broncos | Chargers | Chiefs | Raiders
NFC East:Commanders | Cowboys | Eagles | Giants
NFC North: Bears | Lions | Packers | Vikings
NFC South: Buccaneers | Falcons | Panthers | Saints
NFC West: 49ers | Cardinals | Rams | Seahawks