Saints Have Nerve-Wracking Projections For 2025

The New Orleans Saints entered the 2024 National Football League season with high expectations.

New Orleans went 9-8 in 2023 and had higher expectations heading into 2024. The first two weeks of the season went great. The Saints began the season 2-0 with two blowout wins but then the season went off the rails. New Orleans finished in last place in the NFC South with a 5-12 record.

The Saints' 2024 season was full of high-profile injuries, including to quarterback Derek Carr and wide receiver Chris Olave. The Saints are healthier now heading into 2025, but Carr no longer is with the franchise after announcing his retirement.

There's a lot of excitement around second-round pick Tyler Shough, but it's no guarantee that he will be starting right away.

There's uncertainty around the team and because of this, ESPN's NFL Football Power Index has the Saints projected as the worst team in football, as shared by ESPN's Seth Walder.

"Who ranks last? The FPI's 32nd-ranked team is not the (Tennessee Titans), (Clevleland Browns), or (New York Giants)," Walder said. "It's the Saints, who find themselves at the bottom of the rankings after the sudden retirement of veteran quarterback Derek Carr. His retirement forces New Orleans to rely on either second-round rookie Tyler Shough or second-year player Spencer Rattler at quarterback, barring another move. All rookie quarterbacks are viewed as a negative in the FPI, but a second-rounder like Shough -- who the model presumes will start -- will be considered a little worse than Cameron Ward, whom Tennessee selected with the No. 1 pick.

"The good news for the Saints is that the FPI doesn't think much of the NFC South. Only the Buccaneers have a positive FPI rating (they rank 14th). The Falcons and Panthers rank 26th and 28th, respectively. Partially because the division is so weak, all four NFC South teams rank in the bottom six in strength of schedule, which boosts each of their win projections. As a result, the Saints have only the fourth-best chance at the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft despite their last-place overall FPI ranking."

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