The Saints’ Post-Brees Struggles: A Masterclass in Missed Opportunities

When Drew Brees retired after the 2020 NFL season, it marked the end of a golden era in New Orleans Saints football. Alongside head coach Sean Payton, Brees turned a historically middling franchise into a perennial contender, culminating in a Super Bowl victory in 2009 and years of offensive brilliance. But as the dust settles following Derek Carr’s recent retirement, the Saints are left staring at the harsh truth: they were woefully unprepared for life after their Hall of Fame quarterback and visionary head coach.

Carr’s tenure in New Orleans, punctuated by inconsistency and unmet expectations, was meant to be a bridge to stability. The Saints handed him a $150 million contract with $100 million guaranteed—a significant commitment for a quarterback who was never a top-tier option in his time with the Raiders. But Carr, for all his professionalism and effort, served more as a symbol of the Saints’ reactive nature rather than a solution. His retirement closes yet another chapter in the Saints’ post-Brees quarterback saga and reinforces a question that’s lingered for years: why didn’t they have a real plan?

The warning signs were there. As far back as 2016, Brees began hinting at the idea of retirement. That moment should have set off alarms inside the Saints’ front office to find and groom his successor. Instead, the Saints swung and missed—or simply chose not to swing at all.

In 2017, the team was in position to select Patrick Mahomes with the 11th overall pick. Kansas City leapt ahead to No. 10 and took him, reportedly blindsiding New Orleans. The Saints settled for Marshon Lattimore, a strong player, but one that didn’t answer their biggest long-term question.

In 2018, with Lamar Jackson still on the board late in the first round, the Saints traded up—not for the electric Heisman winner, but for Marcus Davenport, a raw defensive end from UTSA. Jackson went on to become a league MVP. Davenport became a player constantly battling injuries and inconsistency.

In 2020, the Saints could have drafted Jordan Love, who Green Bay chose with an eye toward eventually replacing Aaron Rodgers. New Orleans opted for center Cesar Ruiz. That same draft also saw Jalen Hurts slip to the second round, and while the Eagles seized the moment, the Saints again passed on a quarterback with clear starting potential.

These weren’t isolated incidents. They were part of a pattern—a refusal to look beyond the present. Even quarterbacks like Teddy Bridgewater and Jameis Winston, who had stints in New Orleans, were treated as short-term stopgaps instead of developmental investments. Both had promise, but neither was given a true runway or organizational commitment to succeed Brees.

The Saints’ thinking may have been clouded by their own rare success story. After all, Brees was a free agent signing who flourished in New Orleans, just like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady did in their second acts. But those cases are outliers. Of the 59 Super Bowls played, only 10 quarterbacks have won it with teams that didn't draft them. Betting on lightning to strike twice isn’t a strategy—it’s wishful thinking.

Meanwhile, smart franchises have made bold moves to secure their futures. The Chiefs drafted Mahomes despite having a playoff-caliber quarterback in Alex Smith. The Packers took Jordan Love with Aaron Rodgers still in his prime. The Eagles selected Jalen Hurts shortly after committing big money to Carson Wentz. And now, even the Falcons, with Kirk Cousins under contract, just invested a first-round pick in Michael Penix Jr.

And yet, the Saints continue to act only when the ground beneath them gives way. The most recent example? The 2025 NFL Draft. After the announcement that Derek Carr might miss the entire 2025 season due to injury, the Saints scrambled to select quarterback Tyler Shough in the second round. While Shough has upside, the pick again came not as part of a long-term succession plan, but as a desperate pivot in the face of another looming crisis. It was reactive, not strategic—a hallmark of this era of Saints decision-making.

The Saints, on the other hand, seem to wait until the worst-case scenario is unfolding before taking action. Their post-Brees journey has been defined by improvisation, patchwork solutions, and a refusal to read the writing on the wall.

Carr’s retirement is more than the end of an era—it’s a mirror reflecting years of organizational inertia. The Saints haven’t lacked opportunities. They’ve lacked foresight. Until that changes, they’ll remain a team chasing ghosts rather than building toward the future.

So, why do the Saints wait for disaster to strike before acting? Perhaps it's loyalty. Perhaps it's fear of change. But in the NFL, where windows close quickly and dynasties are built on boldness, hesitation is often the enemy. The Saints must choose: stay stuck in the past, or finally begin preparing for tomorrow.