Remember what happened to Kirk Cousins last year? Oh no, we aren’t talking about his fancy $180 million contract with the Falcons. It’s the aftermath of his deal that caught everyone’s attention. Despite signing him on a massive contract, the Falcons didn’t notify him and his agent that they were going to draft a quarterback. The result? Well, Atlanta drafted Michael Penix Jr. with their eighth overall pick.

Sure, Cousins kicked off most of last season as the starter for Atlanta. But did he get that fairy-tale ending? Nope, not even close. The plot thickens, though. The Falcons have confirmed that if he’s not traded, Cousins will be their backup quarterback. And just when you thought the drama was over, here comes round two. This time, starring Derek Carr and the New Orleans Saints.

A few days ago, it was reported that Carr is suffering from a shoulder injury and is uncertain to return in the next season. The interesting part? Well, not even his teammates were aware of his injury. But here’s the kicker—The Athletic’s Dianna Russini recently reported that “Even before Derek Carr’s shoulder situation remained public, I’m told the Saints have been laser-focused on adding a quarterback in this draft.”

Well, well, here comes the Kirk Cousins treatment with Derek Carr. Just last week, the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Carr is suffering from a shoulder injury that threatens his 2025 season availability. That means the Saints are in dire need of a quarterback in the draft. However, Russini believes that drafting a QB in the draft was a top priority for Kellen Moore’s team. But why?

Well, Carr has been leading the Saints’ offense for a couple of years now and holds a pretty good record of 14-13 across two seasons. However, the veteran QB missed out on six games in the last season due to an injury. Enter Kellen Moore as the Saints’ new head coach. And it always seemed like drafting a QB for the future would be a better decision. But is Derek happy with that decision?

“Maybe it’s they told Derek Carr’s camp that, ‘Hey, we’re taking a quarterback. Derek can be the starter for one more year, and then we’re gonna start this other rookie’,” Chase Daniel said while chatting with Russini on Scoop City. “Like, I can imagine something like that going and Derek Carr being like, ‘Hold up. I don’t want to be a placeholder. I want to have a situation where I can go and I can be a starter for two or three more years in my career’.” 

That change a lot of things for Carr and the Saints. The QB is uncertain to return in 2025. And if he won’t return and the Saints’ draft a QB, then let’s just say Derek Carr will need a new home to continue his NFL career. As for the franchise, they’ve No. 9 overall pick that they can use to draft a QB. But that’s not going to be as easy as it sounds.

With Derek Carr probably out, who’s the next Saints’ QB?

There’s a whole lot difference between last year’s class and this year’s class for the NFL draft. Back in 2024, six teams drafted a QB in the first round. In 2025? Well, there’s just a couple of top-tier QBs. So where does that leave the Saints? Let’s be real—the Titans are pretty much certain to draft Cam Ward with their first overall pick. That left the Saints with Shedeur Sanders.

The odds are favoring that New Orleans is going to draft Shedeur. But the plot thickens as the Colorado’s QB is out there visiting different teams. The latest one? It’s the New York Giants. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, “ESPN Sources: Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders will hold one last private workout Thursday in Boulder, Colorado for a contingent of officials from the New York Giants. Some final intrigue leading into next week’s NFL Draft in Green Bay.”

That’s understandable. The Giants signed Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, no doubt. But none of ’em is a long-term option for the team. To make it more obvious, the team holds the No. 3 overall pick and the way things are shaping up, they’re probably going to use it on a QB. In this case—on Shedeur. But does that solve the Saints’ problems? Absolutely not.

In fact, they’ve now become the latest team to be stuck in QB limbo. If the Giants pick Shedeur at 3, the Saints will later look toward Ole Miss signal-caller Jaxson Dart. But let’s not kid ourselves—Dart is expected to be picked in the later rounds. However, New Orleans also has No. 40 overall pick in the second round. So drafting Dart later could be an option. But one thing’s for sure: if Russini’s reports are true, then it’s surely not good news for Derek Carr.