The New Orleans Saints are entering the first year with Kellen Moore as the team’s head coach, and expectations are relatively low for the 2025 season.
The Saints are coming off a (5-12) season and their roster is filled with aging veterans. New Orleans entered the offseason in serious salary cap trouble, but with Derek Carr’s sudden retirement, have a bit more flexibility to add any pieces that might still be available this late in free agency.
According to CBS Sports. Carr was scheduled to make $40 million in 2025. The Saints converted $28.745 million of Carr's $30 million 2025 base salary, which was guaranteed for injury, into a signing bonus and his fully guaranteed $10 million fifth day of the 2025 league year roster bonus was also prorated to create $30.996 million of 2025 salary cap room. Carr's 2025 cap number dropped from $51.458 million to $20.462 million, giving the Saints much-needed flexibility they didn’t previously have.
Still, there are massive questions surrounding a roster that has a few proven playmakers, but needs a serous influx of talent. Chris Olave has flashed as a potential No. 1 WR in the NFL, but he’s been attached to trade rumors as of late. Alvin Kamara is consistently one of the top running backs in the league, but how productive will he be if defenses aren’t concerned about the quarterback.
As it stands, Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener and second-round pick Tyler Shough are competing for the starting QB for the Saints in 2025.
Regardless, if Moore is going to have the same offensive success in New Orleans he had in Philadelphia and Dallas, he’s going to need more weapons to utilize.
Anthony Palacios of Last Word on Sports believes the 49ers may look to trade star running back Christian McCaffrey to the New Orleans Saints with money getting thin after paying Brock Purdy.
After months of speculation, the San Francisco 49ers will give quarterback Brock Purdy a massive contract extension that will keep a part with the team for a long time. According to reports, there were some implications earlier this offseason that they considered letting Purdy play out this upcoming season to prove that he can be the next signal-caller of this franchise for the immediate future. However, they didn’t waste any time as the quarterback will return on a new deal, where the 49ers now face questions on the other key contributors on the offense. This would include veteran running back Christian McCaffrey, who was in a few trade rumors this year since the 49ers may embrace the full rebuild.
Whoever ends up being the quarterback of this franchise will need extra support in the backfield. Tyler Shough or Spencer Rattler probably won’t be throwing often, so they could keep their arm fresh, but getting someone like McCaffrey to help Alvin Kamara would be the one trade that revives this offense. It’s been a brutal offseason for the Saints, and this move would put them back in the postseason conversations.