New Orleans Saints: What to do with the team’s three starter-quality QBs

The New Orleans Saints have a depth at quarterback that is almost unheard of.

While teams like the Chicago Bears and the Cleveland  Browns have been searching for is a quarterback who can get the offense down the field, the New Orleans Saints have three quarterbacks on their roster right now that could man any playoff team in the league.

The swelling hoopla of the playoffs has free agency and the draft far out of any healthy Saints fans’ mind.

But just past the playoff horizon looms a potential disaster, one that is all too real after the Saints’ loss to Minnesota. Saints fans were all hoping a Super Bowl victory would erase the pain of last year’s heartbreak, but could a second Lombardi trophy have sparked an ominous chain reaction?

On the surface, a quarterback exodus in the Big Easy doesn’t seem all that likely; according to Matt Miller’s latest mock draft, team officials expect Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Brees to return next season.

But that’s a big assumption to make, and one that hinders on the results of this year’s campaign, which with the heartbreak sustained still remains unknown.

More from Who Dat Dish

• Saints 2022 Training Camp: Top 4 takeaways from Day 8
• Saints need to extend C.J. Gardner-Johnson ASAP
• Chris Herndon signing is low-risk, high-reward for NOLA Saints
• Saints News: Tyrann Mathieu return and Chris Herndon signing
• Saints Training Camp: Throwing punches won’t help Trevor Penning win the LT job

So let’s fast forward to springtime and assume the absolute worst-case scenario has already crumbled. Drew Brees hangs up his cleats, Teddy Bridgewater receives a significant offer and Taysom Hill leaves in free agency.

This scenario might seem like a lot, but it’s much more possible than most Saints’ fan are likely to admit.

For starters, Drew Brees certainly has the talent for at least one more season. But missing five games with a thumb injury was a humbling blow. A reminder of his mortality may give Drew Brees all the reason he needs to ride off into the sunset.

But then again, Teddy B was the subject of a sunny Miami courtship last offseason, and that two-year, $10 million offer came without much tape. After going 5-0 as a starter, there’s no way Teddy’s agent isn’t getting at least one phone call the minute free agency opens up.

Don’t go forgetting either about Taysom Hill.

His contract expires at the end of the season, and while the Saints certainly will be quick to give the 29-year-old quarterback/tight end/running back/wide receiver/returner a sizable chunk of compensation, it would be a mistake to think the Saints would be the one team to express interest in the everyman.

Hill’s name has been all over the league, and he’s quickly becoming one of the more popular players across all fan bases. His positional flexibility — the same thing that makes him so dangerous on the field — is what will make him attractive to a wide number of teams.

Should a disaster scenario occur, the Saints will have a few options to explore. The team could target a quarterback in the draft but would have difficulty in locating a prospect that could fit Sean Payton’s scheme.

As WhoDatDish’s Matthew Beighle points out, the Saints could make a splash and enlist the services of Cam Newton. While all this speculation is the product of assuming the worst, one thing is clear: the team’s loss to Minnesota could, in fact, cause quite a ripple effect.