Dec 20, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) shake hands after an NFL football game at O.co Coliseum. The Packers defeated the Raiders 30-20. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Panthers great Cam Newton says Saints should pursue Aaron Rodgers over Kirk Cousins after Derek Carr retirement

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Tim Weaver | Last updated May 19, 2025 12:00 PM ET

One thing is clear heading into the 2025 NFL season: the Carolina Panthers are no longer the worst team in the NFC South. Atlanta's surprise drop-off last year, coinciding with the sunken cost of Kirk Cousins' awful contract will drag them down for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, in New Orleans there's a five alarm fire at QB, where the surprise retirement of Derek Carr leaves a giant hole at the top of a depth chart that is now the worst in the league at the game's most important position.

At this point in the offseason there's not a whole lot the Saints can do to improve that room, as their options are extremely limited after passing on Shedeur Sanders and drafting Tyler Shough instead, which looks like a real choice right now.

The two biggest potential movers at quarterback are currently Kirk Cousins and Aaron Rodgers. Ask former Carolina Panthers star Cam Newton and he'll say that the Saints should be in the market for Rodgers over Cousins. Watch.

Rodgers may prefer to go to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he's been expected to sign for several weeks now. The Steelers would certainly give him a better chance to make the playoffs than the Saints, who have an aging roster that should have been blown up several offseasons ago - in addition to the handicap of living in salary cap hell every year. In any case, New Orleans isn't going to make the postseason this year with or without Rodgers at this late point in his career.

This article first appeared on Carolina Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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