No one can confidently say that the 2025 version of the New Orleans Saints will have a successful season. The sudden retirement of quarterback Derek Carr and having a first-year head coach on the job have drastically changed the entire outlook for New Orleans. There are just too many unknowns right now. However, the outside perception of the Saints was drastically low before Carr’s retirement announcement.
That’s because the 2024 season spiraled out of control after what looked to be a promising campaign in the opening weeks. The Saints’ 5-12 record was their worst outing since 2005 when they closed out with a 3-13 finish. While the players, coaches, and team executives will never publicly admit that they are going through a rebuilding phase, the optics may say otherwise.
But the Saints have been rebuilding since last season; it’s only now that they don’t have a reliable option at quarterback. The Saints, having Derek Carr as a part of the fold, allowed them to have a chance of winning the NFC South, which is probably the worst division in the league for quite some time. However, even with Carr under center, the Saints struggled to dethrone the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have not relinquished their reign on the division since Tom Brady retired in 2023. To make things look even more dire for the Saints, no primetime matchups will feature New Orleans this season. Since Payton and Brees linked up in the Big Easy, the team has played at least one or two primetime games.
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The trend continued under the watch of Dennis Allen, but after last year’s collapse, the spotlight on New Orleans is gone. But can you blame the league for feeling that way? The Saints no longer have an appeal resembling a perennial NFC contender. That went out the window once Payton stepped away from coaching the team. “Well, we don’t have any primetime games, so that’s what the league thinks of us, and that’s fine,” Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis said Monday when speaking with local reporters at the Saints Hall of Fame Celebrity Golf Tournament.
“Look, we’re used to playing in prime time over the years, but we had five wins last year, so we can’t complain about it,” he said. “We’ve got to go out and perform and earn those opportunities.” You can’t argue with anything Loomis said regarding the team not having at least one primetime matchup.
There’s no appealing storyline or polarizing player that lies within the current landscape right now. And the one individual who was a polarizing subject among the fanbase has retired. But this is how it should be. It’s best that the Saints stay out of the spotlight and successfully pivot the franchise to where it once was. Outside opinions will form their narratives regardless of how the message is spun. For now, it’s prudent for the Saints to remain out of sight and mind in the broader NFL landscape.
Are playoffs in the cards for a team with so many unknowns as the New Orleans Saints? Well, in today’s NFL, nothing is out of the question. That’s what makes the league so polarizing among viewers. You never know how things will transpire until it occurs in real-time. The Washington Commanders and the Houston Texans are recent examples of how fast things can get turned around for a losing organization. But do the Saints have a franchise quarterback in the building right now in rookie Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler?
Because that’s what it will take to usher in real change to a team that has shown that they can turn things around years ago. There have been outliers in the past who have quickly changed the outlooks of teams, such as Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott, and Lamar Jackson. However, the notion of young passers swiftly turning around a franchise remains few and far between. The ideal situation for a young QB is that they go through a season or two of growth before learning the ins and outs of a pro-style offense.
As for Shough and Rattler, the expectations are simple. They must consistently grow in learning Kellen Moore’s scheme, or the Saints will find themselves looking for a quarterback again in 2026.
If the Saints want even a puncher’s chance at a playoff berth or NFC South title, they’ll need to hit on three crucial areas: competent quarterback play, an improved offensive line, and a defense that can carry its weight.
That’s a big ask for a team with so many question marks — especially at the most important position on the field. And while the turnaround may not happen by midseason, progress isn’t out of reach. In a year without primetime lights or national attention, maybe that’s exactly the environment New Orleans needs to rebuild the right way, finally — quietly, deliberately, and without distraction.
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