New Orelans Saints 2025 Season Preview
By: Michael Higgins
(Image courtesy of Stephen Lew/IMAGN Images)
The New Orleans Saints have flirted with salary cap hell for what feels like a decade now. It has finally started to catch up with them and they will surely be entering a full rebuild in 2025. They are without the star players that they are used to having and the stars they do have on the roster are on the wrong side of 30. With the offseason and 2024 going the way it did for New Orleans, it will be a while before the Saints are competitive again.
Trades: The team went out and made a trade in the offseason to bolster up the trenches. They sent a 2026 7th round pick to the Patriots in exchange for Davon Godchaux.
Departures: The Saints lost three productive starters to retirement this offseason. SAF Tyrann Mathieu, OT Ryan Ramczyk, and QB Derek Carr all retired. The roster also got torn apart in free agency as they were unable to pay the guys on their roster. RB Jamaal Williams, WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, IOL Lucas Patrick, EDGE Payton Turner, LB Willie Gay Jr., and CB Paulson Adebo are all of the notable contributors that will be playing elsewhere.
Additions: Due to cap restrictions, New Orleans was handcuffed in terms of moves they could make in the offseason. They brought in WR Brandin Cooks, CB Isaac Yiadom, and SAF Justin Reid to multi-year contracts. SAF Julian Blackmon, DL Jonathan Bullard, IOL Dillon Radunz, TE Jack Stoll, WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, and RB Cam Akers all signed one-year contracts. Most of these players are nice depth pieces, but do not move the needle, with the exception of Justin Reid.
Draft Selections: The Saints had a roller coaster of a draft. They took Texas OT Kelvin Banks Jr. with the 9th pick in the draft. Banks was one of my favorite prospects in the entire class so I was happy with this selection. On Day 2, they took Louisville QB Tyler Shough, Texas DL Vernon Broughton, and Virginia SAF Jonas Sanker. The slot value on that Shough pick was terrible and I would have rather they stuck with Spencer Rattler for another yar in which they know they will not be competitive. My favorite Day 3 picks of theirs include Kansas RB Devin Neal, Louisville CB Quincy Riley, and Oklahoma LB Danny Stutsman. All of whom I expect to make an impact at some point in the season.
The Saints will not have it easy this year and they are favorites to land the 1st overall pick in the 2026 draft. Will they lose enough games to earn that privilege?
Season Predictions: New Orleans start the season with two home games against the Cardinals and 49ers before two road games against the Seahawks and Bills. I have the Saints coming out to a blistering 0-4 start to the year.
October starts with another 2 home games against the Giants and Patriots. They hit the road to play the Bears in Chicago before returning home to face the Buccaneers to end the month. The Saints go 1-3 in October.
New Orleans will be traveling plenty in November. Wo road games to start the month against the Rams and Panthers before a Week 11 bye. They come out of the bye to host the Falcons and travel to Miami to play the Dolphins. The Saints go 1-3 in November.
The final stretch of the season sees the Saints play the Buccaneers on the road, come home to host the Panthers and Jets, and play two road games to conclude the season against the Titans and Falcons. The Saints will go 1-4 in this final stretch of the season.
Final Thoughts: I have the Saints going 3-14, a record that sets them up well for that coveted 1st overall pick. While that is a poor season, it may help expedite the rebuilding process. If Tyler Shough wants to be the QB of the future in New Orleans, he will need to deliver more than 3 wins. Additionally, he will need to develop at a rapid pace due to his age.
