80,358 yards, 578 touchdowns, two hundred forty-three interceptions, 287 games played, and 67.7 completed percentage. These are the stats of the future Hall of Famer, Drew Brees. 

After a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Brees might be putting the cleats up and call it a day. It seems Tom Brady is the only quarterback left from the 2000 generation. Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers, and, now, Drew Brees are all set to retire. But where exactly does this leave the Saints? The Saints have always been a force to be reckoned with. Star players such as Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, and Demario Davis have all held the team together even without Drew Brees. However, some issues have come up with these players. Although he had a dominant season in 2019, Thomas has become a shell of what he once was. Limited to games due to injuries and current Covid-19 protocols, Thomas has not been the x-factor he should have been. 

Despite this, Brees’ potential retirement leaves the Saints searching for their next franchise quarterback. Taysom Hill has come up in this conversation. However, it does not seem likely that the Saints will trust the ball in his hands. Granted, Hill had played well when he had the chance, but he is a swiss army knife of quarterbacks. 

The ability to play quarterback, tight end, and running back is incredible. The issue with this could be that the Saints might not trust Hill to focus on one position when he has shown remarkable skill playing others. 

Another quarterback mentioned is Jameis Winston, a free agent the Saints picked up last season. Winston played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he threw 5,000 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 30 interceptions. Arm strength does not concern Winston, which was always an Achilles heel for Brees. However, no matter how impressive the 5,000 yards and 30 touchdowns may seem, the 30 interceptions are also very concerning. Are the Saints willing to roll the dice on Winston? That is yet to know.

Finally, the Saints could go for All-pro quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson has been to the pro bowl three times, which is impressive considering he was drafted in 2017. In addition to this, Watson has thrown for over 14,000 yards, 104 touchdowns, and 37 interceptions. Watson has recently asked to be traded from the Houston Texans. Although it may be unlikely, if the Saints can pick up Deshaun Watson, they will have their franchise quarterback.