Will the Saints’ offseason approach help the team escape the cycle of mediocrity?
The New Orleans Saints are trying to find their way back to contender status. Are they making the necessary moves this offseason to do that?
From 2017 to 2020, the New Orleans Saints won the NFC South four straight times, punching their ticket to the playoffs in each season. New Orleans didn’t win a Super Bowl in that span, but they were upholding the established winning culture of the team in recent years. However, after the 2020 season, future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees retired, and things have been downhill since.
The Saints have gone a combined 25-26 in the three years since, missing the playoffs in each season. Now, heading into the 2024 season, everyone knows that it’s put-up-or-shut-up time in New Orleans. If the Saints have another mediocre season, some major changes are coming to town; from top to bottom.
With that being New Orleans’ reality, it’s fair to ask if the team has behaved like that’s a possibility this offseason. Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report thinks the answer to that question is no. In a recent piece, using one word to describe each team’s offseason, Gagnon used “limbo” for New Orleans.
Saints considered to be living in limbo
Gagnon explained that New Orleans is in football purgatory, refusing to commit to a rebuild but too cash strapped to make the necessary splash moves to improve the roster. In the end, that leaves the Saints as a “not-good-but-not-bad team” that will eventually have to make a decision.
That’s been the sentiment that everyone has expressed when discussing New Orleans. The team has hovered around .500, and it makes sense, because the franchise hasn’t been able to go hard in either direction. However, it seems like the organization is preparing for decision time. With a lot of veterans entering the final two years of their contract, the 2024 season will likely go a long way in determining how the franchise operates moving forward.
If it’s another mediocre season, we will likely see people being fired and players being moved. If the Saints find a way to be competitive, New Orleans will probably be aggressive next offseason, hoping to make a move that could get them over the hump.
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