5 emergency QB options if the Saints lose Derek Carr to injury in 2023

1. Jameis Winston

While every name on this list has merit — for different reasons — the Saints would likely fall back on their in-house option if something happened to Derek Carr. Jameis Winston, who was the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, has spent his entire career in the NFC South.

Selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he spent five seasons as their starter and while he was just 28-42, he had some success during his tenure. That includes a 2016 campaign when he led the Bucs to a 9-7 record. He also threw for 5,109 yards in 2019 which led the NFL. He even had 33 touchdowns that year — however, he also had 30 interceptions to lead the league as well.

Tampa moved on that offseason since they were able to sign Tom Brady and that led to Winston signing with the Saints. He was the backup to Drew Brees in 2020 but took over in 2021. Under Sean Payton, he started out with a record of 5-2 while throwing 14 touchdowns and just three interceptions before a torn ACL ended his comeback season.

Winston was back in 2022 but the new coaching staff led by Dennis Allen preferred Andy Dalton. Winston wound up starting just three games and was 1-2 while throwing more interceptions (5) than touchdowns (4).

Even with that being the case, he has three years under his belt in this offense and knows offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael very well. If anything were to happen to Carr, the Saints might be willing to add some depth but they're likely to roll with Winston.

Now, if Winston struggles, perhaps they reconsider one of the four players previously mentioned.

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