NFL: Who replaces Saints QB Drew Brees after he retires?
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees will be turning 42 years old in January. The questions start to pour in on how much longer does he have to play for the New Orleans Saints. There is a bigger question that looms over the Saints franchise. Where do they turn at the quarterback position to replace the future Hall of Fame quarterback.
It is hard to picture the New Orleans Saints without number nine behind center, but that is going to be coming in the near future. The New Orleans Saints signed Jameis Winston in the 2020 NFL off-season. They also have utility player Taysom Hill, but are those two quarterbacks the answer is the question.
New Orleans had a good back up in Teddy Bridgewater before losing him to the Carolina Panthers in free agency. Bridgewater has proven that he is not a starting quarterback in the NFL. New Orleans could be coming into a situation where they need to find a quarterback to lead them the way Drew Brees has over the years.
Lets look at three possible replacements that the New Orleans Saints could have replace Drew Brees when he calls it a career.
3. Taysom Hill
Taysom Hill made a few starts for the New Orleans Saints during the 2020 NFL Season. In the times that Taysom Hill has entered the game at quarterback in the 2020 NFL Season he has not looked bad. Hill has completed 72.3 percent of his passes for 920 yards, four touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
Lets take into consideration who the opponents were when Taysom Hill started for the New Orleans Saints. During the four game stretch the Saints played four teams with losing records. New Orleans played the Falcons twice, the Broncos, and lost to the Eagles.
In the four starts, Taysom Hill did more damage with his running ability than his passing ability. Two of the four starts he did not record a passing touchdown. He only passed for 78 yards against the Denver Broncos. Taysom Hill is not the future at the quarterback position for the New Orleans Saints.
2. Jameis Winston
Jameis Winston has made two appearances for the New Orleans Saints during the 2020 NFL Season. In those two appearances he has completed 63.6% of his passes for 75 yards and no touchdowns. The bright side of this is that in those two appearances Winston did not throw an interception.
The lack of playing time makes it hard for us to evaluate if he is the right quarterback for the job. Lets take a look at his stats with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jameis Winston has played six seasons in the NFL and this will be the first season without double-digit interceptions.
In the 2019 NFL Season, Winston threw 33 touchdown passes but also threw 30 interceptions. The best season he has recorded for interceptions was the 2017 NFL Season where he threw 11 interceptions. Some will question if Jameis Winston has the maturity to lead an NFL franchise. Jameis Winston turns the football over too much to be the next franchise quarterback of the New Orleans Saints.
1. Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold makes the most sense for this spot. The New York Jets are most likely selecting a new franchise quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft. New Orleans could get Sam Darnold for next to nothing from the New York Jets.
Darnold has struggled for the New York Jets, but he has not had the greatest coaching staff to mold him into an NFL quarterback. Sean Payton would work miracles with Sam Darnold. Not to mention he could sit behind Drew Brees for a year to learn from one of the best quarterbacks to play the game.
The New Orleans Saints would get a quarterback that is young and has his best years ahead of him. Darnold would only be entering his fourth year in the NFL next season. The Saints would give him the best running back, offensive line and best wide receiver group he has ever played with in his NFL career.
As long as the New York Jets doesn't want the city of New Orleans in return for Darnold, the Saints should pursue him. They could put together a package and send Taysom Hill and some draft picks for the young quarterback. Sam Darnold would be the perfect replacement for Drew Brees.
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