Report: Saints considered ‘kicking the tires’ on Sam Darnold before Jets-Panthers trade

Who is going to start at quarterback for the Saints in 2021? Jameis Winston is the smart pick given the strength of his resume and extensive starting experience, but Sean Payton picked Taysom Hill ahead of him last season for a four-game stretch, which gave plenty of observers around the league pause.

And they might be looking to bring another quarterback in for the looming training camp competition; former Browns GM and longtime NFL personnel executive Michael Lombardi discussed the situation on his “The GM Shuffle” podcast, sharing a nugget for Saints fans.

“The Saints are one of those teams that, even though they’ve signed Winston, and even though they have Taysom Hill, they have been one of those teams that have been very active in the quarterback market,” Lombardi said. New Orleans has been linked to multiple quarterback prospects in their pre-draft interviews, ranging from Florida’s Kyle Trask to Mississippi State’s K.J. Costello and Wake Forest’s Jamie Newman. While they have several veterans with NFL experience rostered already between Winston, Hill, and Trevor Siemian, it’s clear that the Saints want to add another passer to the mxi.

“They’re kicking tires. They were in the Sam Darnold market too,” Lombardi continued, repeating for emphasis. “They were in the Sam Darnold market too. They’re kicking the tires on everything. Like I think what Sean Payton’s doing is exactly what you have to do, it’s what Matt Rhule’s doing too: just throw as many against the wall as you can, and figure out which one will stick.”

Darnold was ultimately traded from New York to Carolina in exchange for three draft picks: a sixth rounder in 2021, plus selections in the second and fourth rounds in 2022. That’s quite a haul, and something the Saints could have matched if they chose to. But this suggests they may have not valued Darnold that highly — or at least they valued the picks more. Considering the Saints have the second-fewest players under contract for 2021 in the NFL right now, they need all the draft picks they can get.

It makes sense to weigh all their options, though. Replacing Drew Brees won’t be easy. There’s no guarantee that anyone already in the building is up to the task. Adding more viable candidates brings more competition for everyone, which is ultimately in New Orleans’ best interests. We’ll see how it all shakes out leading up to (and into) the upcoming draft.