After the retirement of New Orleans Saints quarterback, Drew Brees, and Indianapolis Colts quarterback, Philip Rivers, both teams have a very impactful position to fill. Both teams have backup QB’s capable of starting the 2021-2022 season but there are also better options for both teams in the trade market and free agency. Both the Colts and the Saints have weapons on offense that could make the incoming QB’s job much easier.

Both teams have options on the trade market and in free agency. Houston Texans QB DeShaun Watson recently requested a trade away from the Texans following a 4-12 season. Watson recorded 4,823 pass yards, 33 touchdown passes, and only 7 interceptions while playing all 16 games in the 2020-2021 season. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers came into the 2020-2021 season with a shaky relationship with the team. The Packers will most likely be moving on from 37-year-old Rodgers soon after drafting Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft. Aaron Rodgers ended the 2020-2021 season with 4,299 passing yards, 48 passing touchdowns, and only 5 interceptions while helping the Packers to the number one seed in the NFC and a trip to the NFC championship game. New England Patriots QB and former NFL MVP Cam Newton is a free agent and will most likely not be re-signed by the Patriots after a season including 2,657 passing yards, only 8 touchdown passes, and 10 interceptions while leading the Patriots to a 7-9 record. Chicago Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky may also be an option in free agency. Trubisky is not yet a free agent but it is likely that if a contract agreement is reached between Trubisky and the Bears organization, it will be short-term. Trubisky played 10 games in the 2020-2021 NFL season and recorded 2,065 passing yards, 16 touchdown passes, and 8 interceptions as the Bears ended the season with an 8-8 record. Carolina Panthers QB Teddy Bridgewater is an unlikely solution for either team, but he is still a QB that has the potential to lead a good team. He recorded 3,733 passing yards, 15 touchdown passes, and 11 interceptions while leading the Panthers to a 5-11 record. Bridgewater is obviously not a long term solution for a rebuilding team considering his age and play style and the Panthers hold a high draft pick in the upcoming draft, so they might pick up a long term QB to either learn from Bridgewater or immediately take over the starting position. Another option on the trade market is New York Jets QB Sam Darnold. He recorded 2,208 passing yards, 9 touchdown passes, and 11 interceptions while leading the Jets to a 2-14 record. Even though Darnold is young, the Jets currently hold the number 2 pick in the 2021 NFL draft, and with players like Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State QB Justin Fields available. The Jets may look to move on from Darnold because the Jets are still rebuilding and Darnold would take up huge cap space if he resigns with the team and Since he has been in the NFL he has struggled and it is possible that a change in scenery will help jumpstart his career.

If neither the Colts nor the Saints recruit anyone via trade or free agency, each have options already on their roster. The Colts have QB Jacoby Brissett, who started for the team the whole 2019-2020 season. In the 2019-2020 season, Brissett recorded 2,942 passing yards, 18 touchdown passes, and 6 interceptions and he led the Colts to a 7-9 record. The Saints also have a young former starting QB in Jameis Winston. In the 2019-2020 NFL season, when Winston was a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he recorded 5,109 passing yards, 33 passing touchdowns, and 30 interceptions. Winston was only the 9th QB in NFL history to record 5,000  passing yards in a season, but he was also only the 4th in NFL history to throw 30 interceptions in a season. Winston has had major issues with turning over the ball in the past, but hopefully, he learned something while watching Drew Brees from the sideline this season. If Winston would throw fewer interceptions, he would be one of the best QB’s in the NFL based on his statistics relative to other NFL QB’s. Though statistically, neither QB’s are the best choice compared to players like Watson and Rodgers, in terms of team familiarity, keeping these two QB’s would be the best move for both teams;  neither the Colts nor Saints would have to trade or release players in order to recruit a new QB and the new QB would not have to learn a new system.

Whether the Saints acquire a top tier QB or not, they are likely to still make the playoffs because of the players they already have that will make the new starting QB’s job much easier. WR’s Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders are both Pro-Bowl caliber as well as RB Alvin Kamara and TE Jared Cook and the Saints have the number two ranked defense in the NFL, so whoever the new starting QB is, he will have many weapons to work with and a defense to be able to lean on for support if the offense struggles. However, the Colts may are not in the same category. Although the Colts had the number five ranked defense in the NFL, they do not have many weapons on offense, WR T.Y. Hilton is injury prone, and rarely plays a full season, and although RB Jonathan Taylor had over 1,000 rushing yards, it is too soon for him in his career of having the pressure of having an offense ran through him. The best-case scenario for the Colts would be acquiring a top tier QB, but if they are not able to do so, their season will not be totally lost, but they will have a difficult time reaching the playoffs.