Saints rival adds veteran quarterback to open market, and what it could mean
The New Orleans Saints aren't the only NFC South team in the quarterback business, with the Saints biggest rival indicating they're ready to join the fun.
The entire NFC South is pretty much a mess at the game's most important posiion at the moment. There really isn't any way to sugarcoat it, and that includes the New Orleans Saints. Fortunately, the Saints have an excellent surrounding cast to thrive in this weak division, and potentially the down conference, if they can just get above-average quarterback play.
The NFC South does have some young quarterbacks that could see time, such as Kyle Trask with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Desmond Ridder with the Atlanta Falcons.
What's going on in the ATL is where Saints fans should be intrigued.
Obviously Saints fans will be keeping tabs on the Falcons and vise-versa given the nature of the rivalry. With that said, this news of the Hotlanta's quarterback situation may be worth a look.
The #Falcons have released QB Marcus Mariota.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 28, 2023
On the surface, it might not seem like much. The best days of Marcus Mariota are behind him, and even his best days weren't exactly Canton-worthy, to put it kindly. Saints fans shouldn't look at this with the angle that Mariota could come to New Orleans, especially since that would essentially be a lateral move.
They should look at it as a potential sign of things to come for the Falcons.
This move means basically two things. The first is, the Falcons may still give Ridder a shot, but it's now a longshot. The second, and big thing is, that the Falcons appear to be going all-in on a veteran quarterback. They haven't been linked to Derek Carr (yet), but lately a lot of pundits have linked one Lamar Jackson to the Falcons. We obviously aren't predicting that or even saying it's on the table yet, but dots can be connected.
At the end of the day, the Atlanta Falcons releasing Marcus Mariota is a small move as far as the New Orleans Saints, and the NFL, is concerned. However, it could easily be the calm before the storm, with a much bigger move to come.