It was Week 3 of the 2023 season, and the Saints were cruising with a 17-0 lead over the Packers. Derek Carr’s tossing dimes, and he just hit Jimmy Graham for a touchdown like it’s 2013 all over again. Everything’s clicking… until bam! Rashan Gary comes flying off the edge, smashes Carr into the turf. Carr stayed down, clutching his shoulder, and was eventually ruled out with an AC joint sprain. That AC joint sprain? Yeah, it flipped the whole vibe and was enough for the Packers to make a comeback and snatch the game. Total buzzkill! Come 2025, and suddenly his shoulder injury is banging on the Saints’ door harder than ever.

The Saints were supposed to be one of the few teams without any QB issues. But here we are. Earlier this year, during the NFL Scouting Combine, New Orleans GM Mickey Loomis and HC Kellen Moore made it clear who they want to start under center. “I think we feel like we’ve got a guy we can win with and we’re excited about that,” Loomis said. Adding more to Loomis’ thoughts, HC Moore also said that, “We feel fortunate to have Derek here, the experience he has, and he’s a big-time quarterback in this league.” However, the shoulder injury Carr suffered in the 2023 season has come again to haunt the Saints.

As per Albert Beer of Sports Illustrated, the joint sprain Carr suffered during the 2023 season was never really gone. “The Saints knew about this shoulder issue,” Breer wrote. “What I’m less sure about is if they view it as something that was actually threatening his 2025 season. The story I’ve heard is that Carr’s camp has told people that this actually stems from his [2023] AC joint sprain, which never fully healed.” Now, with the draft just a week away, where does this leave the Saints and Moore?

Unlike any other team, if the Saints’ QB1 is doubted, Moore does not have any option left but to target the upcoming draft. But if you’re thinking that New Orleans drafting a QB at No. 9 is going to be a walk in the park, give yourselves another shot. The thing is that the Saints have the No. 9 pick, and this year’s class has just two top QB prospects—Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders. That’s where it gets pretty interesting—messy, to be precise.

Let’s get to the core of it. The Titans are projected to use their No. 1 pick on Ward. And Sanders? Well, it’s a complete mystery where he’ll land. The Giants are interested in drafting him. The Raiders are looking to add depth to their QB room by drafting him. And according to Art Stapleton, NY Giants/NFL beat for USA Today, “I’ve heard Jaxson Dart and Tyler Shough connected to the Saints.” Well, did they have any other option? Absolutely not.

See it this way: at this point, the Giants’ general manager is playing mind games. “You’d like to have a young franchise QB. Every GM wants one. But the value has to be right. If you get that one wrong … You have to get that right,” Giants GM Joe Schoen said when asked about the team’s desire for drafting a QB. It sounds less like a plan and more like a bluff. The reason? Well, the GM confirmed that they’re getting calls from other teams to trade up at No. 3.

And if we’re not wrong, Schoen recently stated that, “You don’t pass on a generational talent even if you have starters at that position,” when asked about drafting an edge rusher. That’s pretty much confirm that the Giants are probably going to draft Penn State’s Abdul Carter if they didn’t trade down. The kicker? Well, according to Stapleton, “Many around the league believe Shedeur and Milroe are the two QBs the Giants like. Then I’ve heard Dart with the Giants. And Shough with Giants.” Translation?

Well, there isn’t one. Basically, everyone’s guessing. Scouts, insiders, and media folks are all hearing different things—but they can’t all be right. For the Giants? They’ll draft a QB only if they are confident that they’re drafting a right guy. Because you know, they just don’t want to repeat their past mistakes. For the Saints? Well, they actually want to draft one, but the teams sitting at the top are giving them a constant nightmare.

The truth is, no one outside the teams really knows for sure who’s going where. It’s all part of the draft smokescreen game—teams sometimes leak fake info or keep things mysterious to gain an edge. But does that give any relief to Kellen Moore and Co.? Oh, absolutely not. Besides, the team is scratching its head over its QB issues, thanks to Derek Carr’s injury.

Derek Carr doesn’t want Kirk Cousins’ treatment?

Last week, Derek Carr literally shook the entire Saints’ fanbase when his shoulder injury came to the public’s attention. In such an instance, what do the fans expect from their QB? Of course, to show up at rehab at the facility. But did he show up to rehab? Pfft, yeah right. In fact, the 34-year-old QB is out there ditching his QB gig to become a social media influencer. Yeah, that actually happened.

Instead of being a facility, Carr hopped up on YouTube and dropped a video reviewing a $500K Rolls-Royce with his brother David. Guess that was surely not on our 2025 bucket list. Right after that went down, the former Saints linebacker and Super Bowl champ Scott Shanle took to social media and wrote, “Mrs. Benson didn’t pay you $40 million a year to do car reviews on YouTube.” But why such hate for the QB?

Well, don’t think it’s because Carr is out there reviewing a car. Oh no. A few days ago, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported that even before Carr’s shoulder injury went public, he was already planning to leave Kellen Moore and Co. The reason? Because the Saints are planning to draft a QB later this month. Long story short: Derek Carr doesn’t want “the Kirk Cousins treatment.” One of the many reasons why Scott Shanle was ranting on Carr.

“If he’s pouting because the Saints are gonna look for a young QB… he’s too thin-skinned to be your quarterback,” Shanle wrote. That sounds harsh. But you can’t blame a guy who spent a good chunk of time in the Saints’ locker room. All in all, the Saints are probably the most frustrating team at this time. The QB wants to exit the team. The front office wants to draft his successor. And the fanbase? Yeah, they’re basically stuck binge-watching a show that forgot to write the script.

At the end of the day, it all comes to one thing. Don’t even get surprised if the Saints draft a QB. Sure, Saints drafting a QB is harder to explain than a Christopher Nolan movie. But the silver lining is that in one week, it’s all going to be crystal clear.