Saints news: The Lamar Jackson pipe dream, RB position grades, more

The quarterback carousel will continue to turn this offseason, and the New Orleans Saints are unfortunately along for the ride.

Among all the written-about options, one newcomer is Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson, who has been at the center of controversy for the past few months.

In a critical contract year, Jackson missed the Ravens' final five regular season games and the Wild Card game against the Cincinnati Bengals due to a knee injury.

He is expected to resume contract negotiations with Baltimore this offseason, but if he and the Ravens can't come to an agreement, the Saints pose as one of many QB-needy teams that could lure him away in 2023.

The only problem? The Saints may not be able to afford him.

Canal Street Chronicles' Matt Miguez names Jackson as a mere pipe dream and suggests Jimmy Garoppolo as a more realistic option. He also puts Tom Brady in the conversation, which we're shooting down right now. That isn't going to happen.

Here's what's trending in Saints news around the web

NOLA Saints running backs receive a "C" grade for 2022 [Bob Rose, Sports Illustrated]

Rose gave the Saints' running back room a "C" grade for its performance in 2022, which feels about right. Alvin Kamara suffered yet another down year recording career-lows across the board: he averaged 4.0 yards per carry, recorded 490 total receiving yards, and had only two receiving touchdowns.

Behind Kamara, Ingram lost his edge despite becoming the franchise's all-time leader in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and rush attempts. The rest of NOLA's running back unit is just warm bodies: Latavius Murray, David Johnson, Dwayne Washington, Eno Benjamin, and Adam Prentice.

Oh, and Taysom Hill, who's had good games but still can't be considered a reliable ball-carrying option.

Saints LB coach Michael Hodges deserves his flowers [Terrin Waack, NOLA.com]

Waack called the Saints' linebackers "the most consistent pulse" throughout the team's disappointing 7-10 season, and much of their success hinged on coach Michael Hodges.

Demario Davis credited Hodges for his first Pro Bowl award in his career and said Hodges did "a phenomenal job coaching a group of diverse individuals."

The proof is in the pudding. Youngsters Pete Werner and Kaden Elliss both developed into consistent starting-caliber linebackers under Hodges' wing, and Elliss in particular went above and beyond expectations this past season. With two pass breakups, seven sacks, and 78 tackles in 11 starts, Elliss may have outpriced his stay at NOLA in 2023.

Ty Summers, Andrew Dowell, Chase Hansen and Zack Baun also gained valuable experience under Hodges’ guidance.

Sean Payton never a "serious consideration" for Chargers job [Andrew Holleran, The Spun]

Here's your daily dose of "What's going on with Sean Payton?" According to NFL's Jim Trotter, Payton was never actually a serious consideration for the Los Angeles Chargers job.

"I believe that Sean Payton has never been a serious consideration because the team has never given serious consideration to firing Staley. And even if they were to make a change, there are too many factors working against Payton walking their sideline."

- Jim Trotter

Trotter lists a few factors which includes the Chargers wanting to hold onto their draft picks and not wanting to give a huge coaching contract to Payton.