Klint Kubiak, a quarterback in his first season with the New Orleans Saints, faces questions.

Any residual uncertainty over the identity of the New Orleans Saints quarterback in 2024 was eliminated prior to the conclusion of the 2023–24 regular season. The Saints decided that Derek Carr would be the starting quarterback as soon as they decided to keep head coach Dennis Allen for a third season.

The futures of Allen, Carr, and the Saints will be intertwined, for better or worse. Forget about the likelihood that the New Orleans Saints may select a quarterback in the first round of the draft for just the second time in franchise history, fans of the city.

Carr will undoubtedly start in 2024, but quarterbacking remains a question mark for new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. Initially, and above all, how will Carr fit into Kubiak’s system? Second, and this is a very important question, what will happen if Carr is hurt or performs poorly enough to be benched?

Granted, Allen’s preference for Carr during the previous season makes the latter unlikely to occur. But considering how many jobs could be at risk if the Saints miss the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season, it’s a legitimate concern.

In order to draft Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, New Orleans had to trade a 2024 fourth-round pick and a 2023 seventh-round selection. Haener showed some promise throughout training camp, but a six-game suspension to begin the regular season severely hampered his progress. Given his inexperience, it doesn’t seem plausible that he will just be given the backup position.

For four seasons, Jameis Winston has been a member of the Saints. Winston took over as the starting quarterback in 2021 after first signing up to backup Drew Brees in 2020. That season ended with a season-ending knee injury after seven games. After making a comeback in 2021, he was sidelined for three games due to foot and back problems. Coach Dennis Allen decided to go with Andy Dalton at quarterback even after he received the all-clear medically.

Remarkably, Winston and the Saints decided to rework his deal so that he could rejoin the team in 2023. Carr started every one of the 17 games, although Winston was forced to start three because of an injury.

In his four years with New Orleans, Winston, a mercurial thrower, has amassed 2,367 passing yards with 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 10 starts, in addition to a few additional appearances. His career has seen many 300-yard games and a 5,000-yard outing with Tampa Bay, proving that he is capable of massive outings. His 99 career interceptions demonstrate that he is also capable of making grave errors.

It’s also evident that coach Dennis Allen does not trust Jameis Winston. It appears likely that the Saints will accept the slight salary budget penalty and let Winston enter free agency as his contract expires on March 12.

Winston might be a good fit for Klint Kubiak’s offensive scheme. It’s also feasible that, despite his inexperience, Kubiak will consider Haener to be a good backup. Do you recall how well he worked with Brock Purdy, a rookie selected in the seventh round, in 2022 when injuries forced him into the San Francisco starting lineup?

The most likely scenario is that the Saints let Winston go in free agency and try to sign a cheap, short-term deal with another experienced quarterback. These quarterbacks, who have worked with both Kubiak and the new QB coach, Andrew Janocko, may be available this season. Furthermore, Kirk Cousins will not be a possibility.

49ers’ Sam Darnold

The New York Jets selected Darnold third overall out of USC in the 2018 NFL Draft. Darnold is just 21-35 as a starter for the Jets and Panthers after serving as a backup in San Francisco the previous season. Over his career, he has thrown for 12,064 yards with 63 touchdowns and 56 interceptions on just 59.7% of his tosses.

Undoubtedly, Darnold is a draft flop, as he is an unrestricted free agent. In four of his five seasons as a starter, he has thrown double-digit interceptions and has failed to complete even 60% of his passes.

As ridiculous as it seems, the Saints might consider Darnold to be a good backup to Carr. Indeed, he has demonstrated beyond a doubt that he is not a good starter. Darnold, though, might be a capable backup in the event that Carr is hurt. He has a year of useful experience with Kubiak’s system, which is more significant.

Garoppolo Jimmy, Raiders

Garoppolo, who was selected by New England in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft, achieved the most of his success after being traded to the 49ers in 2017. He had a 38-17 record in six seasons in San Francisco, leading the team to two NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl appearance. He completed 13,599 yards with a 67.6% completion percentage over those six campaigns, 82 touchdowns, and just 42 interceptions.

Many times, Garoppolo was accused of being a system quarterback in San Francisco who looked good solely because of his excellent weapons. With the Raiders the previous season, he did little to refute that belief. He would throw for just 1,205 yards with seven touchdowns and nine interceptions in six starts before being benched.

The Raiders plan to dismiss Garoppolo, who will also be suspended for the first game of the following season for breaking the league’s drug policy. Furthermore, Garoppolo has a lengthy history of injuries; throughout his ten-year career, he has only participated in 16 games.

Still, Garoppolo has performed remarkably well under Kubiak’s approach. He only spent one season playing for Kubiak, but he was a member of San Francisco’s offensive line for six years under Kyle Shanahan. Despite being an unusual addition to New Orleans, his success as a starter makes him a fantastic asset for the offense.

Bears’ Justin Fields

Fields, an Ohio State product who was selected with the eleventh overall choice in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, has been the focus of numerous trade speculations this offseason. He hasn’t progressed as anticipated in three seasons with a poor Chicago team.

With a 10-28 record, 40 touchdown passes against 30 interceptions, and a pitiful average of just 167 yards after 38 starts, Fields has only completed 60.3% of his passes. He does give the offense an explosive rushing aspect; in 2022, he rushed for over 1,000 yards and scored 14 touchdowns on the ground. Recall that Chris Olave, a wide receiver with the Saints, was among Fields’ primary targets at Ohio State.

Most anticipate that Fields will be moved, as the Bears own both the first overall pick and the ninth selection in the draft. The Saints appear to be an odd destination. He still has two years left on his rookie contract, although he spent the last two seasons playing for Andrew Janocko as his quarterback coach.

Reuniting Fields with Janocko as a rehabilitation project behind Carr may be an unexpected offseason move if the trade market for Fields remains unresponsive and New Orleans manages to acquire him for a conditional Day 3 pick.