Finding a quarterback has to be the biggest priority of the New Orleans Saints offseason, and we should expect them to pull out all the stops in locating a passer Dennis Allen can trust. His job security relies upon it. While Jameis Winston is under contract for 2023, the Saints can save some money by releasing him and it sure feels like a return isn’t in the cards after he was benched for most of the 2022 season.
So free agency is the easiest path forward in finding a passer, even if the Saints are over the salary cap by a frightful amount of money (a similar situation to last year, which didn’t stop them from making a competitive offer to Deshaun Watson). A trade for a veteran would also seem likely, and we know the Las Vegas Raiders are trying to ship Derek Carr out of town, so there’s one realistic option.
Of course some of these guys will be hit with the franchise tag or sign extensions with their current teams, but right now they’re all on track to reach unrestricted free agency in March. And while Tom Brady is also a pending free agent, he probably isn’t thinking about finishing his career with New Orleans. Still, we’ll worry about those changes to the free agent market when it’s time to worry about them. For now, here are the top names to know:
1
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
2
Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
3
Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers
4
Daniel Jones, New York Giants
5
Teddy Bridgewater, Miami Dolphins
6
Baker Mayfield, Los Angeles Rams
