In the wake of Derek Carr’s rather stunning retirement announcement this weekend, all eyes are on teh NFC South to see what direction the New Orleans Saints go to replace him. There are easy logical options, like counting on a room full of inexperienced young quarterbacks, including rookie Tyler Shough, but that’s not exactly a winning strategy.
Sure, the Saints could get lucky and have Shough or Spencer Rattler lead them on a miracle run but the key word there is miracle. It’ll take a lot for New Orleans to compete with the quarterback room it has, let alone be better than No. 1 pick fodder.
All is not totally lost yet, though, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ rivals might pull a surprise lever that sees them reunite with a former player for both teams.
NFL insider suggests Saints trade for Jameis Winston after Derek Carr’s retirement
While Aaron Rodger remains a possibility for the Saints, there’s another New York quarterback who is being floated as a potential option. Jameis Winston hasn’t played a snap for the Giants yet but he does have a ton of familiarity with the Saints which is why New York Daily News insider Pat Leonard is suggesting a trade.
A Jameis Winston trade to New Orleans would make a lot of sense, since his presence on this Giants roster does not https://t.co/pElO4V2j38
— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) May 10, 2025
Both Rodgers and Winston are instantly better options than what the Saints have now, and they’d each present more difficult challenges for the Buccaneers this season.
Rodgers would come to New Orleans with something to prove, which is a potentially dangerous recipie for Tampa Bay to deal with. There’s a chance he’s totally washed and the Bucs would actually get lucky by having him come to the Saints, but that’s a bear you don’t want to Willi going poke and accidentally find out about.
Winston might be the better option, as he’s been with the Saints before and has familiarity with the offensive weapons. It’s a new offense than what he experienced when he was in New Orleans but he’s an interesting variable who could flourish in a Kellen Moore system.
It probably wouldn’t take a ton of draft capital to make a deal happen, either. The Giants drafted Jaxson Dart in the first-round and given the state of things in New York it seems likely Brian Daboll will fast track his rookie quarterback to a starting role. Winston won’t stand in the way of Daboll proving he deserves to keep his job when he can get to work with Dart right away.
That makes Winston expendable, and a pretty lucky safety valve for the Saints to pull. We’ll see if Leonard’s idea is something New Orleans’ front office is thinking but it’s not the worst idea in the world to take a flier on.
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