Aug 17, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore looks on against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Saints Insider Reveals Season Prediction, Outlook For New Orleans

Originally posted on New Orleans Saints on SI
By Zach Pressnell | Last updated Aug 30, 2025 5:31 PM ET

The New Orleans Saints have made a lot of moves this offseason, but their team is in worse shape now than it was a year ago.

The Saints lost quarterback Derek Carr to retirement and couldn't find the perfect answer to losing him. The Saints were left to decide between Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener, and Tyler Shough as their starting quarterback for the upcoming season. This has killed a lot of confidence in the team already.

Saints insider Larry Holder of The Athletic doesn't seem to have very high hopes for the Saints. Holder recently predicted that New Orleans would land the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, suggesting it would be the worst team in football this year.

Saints predicted to land No. 1 pick in 2026 NFL Draft

"The Athletic’s Austin Mock projects 5.2 wins for the Saints this season, which is the lowest projection in the NFL," Holder wrote. "The reasons behind that? Let’s start with the worst quarterback situation in the league, with Spencer Rattler as the starter (0-6 as a starter last year). The Saints surely hoped 2025 second-rounder Tyler Shough would win the QB job, and that didn’t happen.

"Oddsmakers also have the Saints favored to win only one game this season (against the Jets in Week 16). The rest of the offensive pieces aren’t great, and the defense isn’t what it used to be. A tough hand for first-year coach Kellen Moore. At least this means Moore will have his choice of QBs in the 2026 draft class."

With Rattler set to start for head coach Kellen Moore's team, at least to open the season, the Saints could be in trouble.

Their roster is one of the worst in football and the fact that New Orleans might have the worst starting quarterback in the game doesn't help the team's cause.

But if they land the top pick in the draft, the Saints could find their franchise quarterback at that selection. There don't seem to be any star quarterbacks in the upcoming draft, but the Saints would be in a much better spot holding the No. 1 pick a year from now.

More NFL: Bold Prediction: Saints May Reach New All-Time Low In 2025

This article first appeared on New Orleans Saints on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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