Reggіe Buѕһ ѕoundѕ off on wһаt Sаіntѕ won't do wіtһ Derek Cаrr

The Saints need to figure out what to do with Derek Carr, but replacing him at the top of the 2025 NFL Draft probably isn't going to happen.

New Orleans Saints great Reggie Bush isn't so sure the team will go with a quarterback early in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Saints clearly need a franchise quarterback for the long term. However, they're way too low in the draft — they pick at No. 9 — to select one of the marquee quarterbacks in Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward. Furthermore, they're still locked in with veteran quarterback Derek Carr, who still has two years left on his deal and is not willing to take a pay cut.

“That's a question for the GM and the coach,” says Bush in a one-on-one interview on behalf of his partnership with Tostitos when asked if the Saints will bring back Carr. “I don't know at this point because it just depends on what's out there. They're at No. 9, so that takes away all the good quarterbacks. So we'll see.”

Bush acknowledges that if the Saints aren't fully confident in a young quarterback in the draft, their best course of action may be just running it back with Carr. After Sanders and Ward, there are no projected first-round picks at quarterback.

“It really just depends on what they can get,” says Bush “That risk-reward versus losing a guy like Carr and not having a backup plan, not having the guy who you feel like could be the next guy versus trying to start all over.”

Bush also mentions how the Saints could trade for a quarterback as a potential alternative.

“I'm not sure what they're going to do with the quarterback position,” Bush reiterates. “There's some good QB's in this draft and potentially some good ones to be traded for.”

The NFC South is clearly dominated by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have won the past four division titles and have advanced to the playoffs in each of the past five seasons. Right behind them are the Atlanta Falcons, an up-and-coming team featuring a young franchise quarterback in Michael Penix. The Falcons entered Week 18 with an opportunity to win the division, with Penix throwing for 312 yards in the season finale against the Carolina Panthers.

In Carr's defense, the Saints were actually decent with him in the lineup, with New Orleans going 5-5 with the veteran quarterback in the lineup. However, a .500 record clearly is not going to get it done, with the Saints also going 9-8 last season, only to come up short of a playoff berth.

It doesn't help matters that the defense — previously a staple of the franchise — has declined drastically. After finishing eighth and in the top 10 in points allowed per game in each of the past four seasons, the Saints dropped down to 19th in defense during the 2024 season.

Bush believes Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn — a former defensive coach and player with the Saints — is best suited to be the team's next head coach. The former All-Pro running back stresses the need for the Saints to find a stable head coach, something they've been lacking since Sean Payton left the franchise after the 2021 season.

“Obviously, they need a new head coach, they should hire me as a head coach,” Bush says with a smile. “Obviously the season was tough and Derek Carr getting hurt was tough because he was obviously the leader of our team and provided so much offensive spark for us. We see how much the team struggled without him.”

Bush explains why Glenn would be a good fit for the Saints, pointing towards the Lions' defensive effort in their recent 31-9 win over the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings had entered the game on a nine-game winning streak with one of the hottest quarterbacks in Sam Darnold.

“They showed up and they played hard and I thought the package he called, that's the kind of defense I will run,” says Bush. “I would mix it up with the blitzes, the way that he did. I thought it was masterful because you saw how much it affected Sam Donald and there were a few throws that I know he can make in his sleep.”

“That one he missed on Justin Jefferson in the corner, in the end zone where they were in the red zone, that was a result of the blitz and the pressure he was facing,” says Bush. “He makes that throw nine times out of ten in any other situation. Justin Jefferson's wide open, and he's in a one-on-one situation.”

We'll see what the Saints end up doing at quarterback, but their best option may be to run it back with Carr for one more season.