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Four New Orleans Saints starters did not see the practice field on Thursday, with players having been given the day off Wednesday so they could spend Christmas with their families.

But multiple key starters aren’t trending in the right direction before Week 17’s Las Vegas Raiders game. Quarterback Derek Carr (left hand), running back Alvin Kamara (groin), center Erik McCoy (elbow), and left guard Lucas Patrick (knee) all missed practice.

Another group of four were limited participants, so they have at least a shot at playing this Sunday. That includes tight end Juwan Johnson (foot) and...

There are 13 teams who have been eliminated from playoff contention. Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine ranked which teams are most likely to bounce back next season. How are the New Orleans Saints ranked?

The one separation Ballentine made when ranking these teams putting a fence between teams he views as multiyear reclamation projects versus the rest of the field. The good news is the Saints didn’t find themselves in this category, but they weren’t far away from it.

Ballentine ranked the Saints as the seventh-most likely team to bounce back in 2025, slotting in between the Jacksonville...

Derek Carr was never going to be the quarterback of the future. He was supposed to elevate the New Orleans Saints in the immediate future, but he wasn’t the long-term answer. Unfortunately, Carr hasn’t elevated the Saints during his two years as the starter.

Around the NFL writer, Nick Shook, says it’s time to end the Derek Carr experiment. Shook doesn’t believe Carr should be the Saints starter next year. What about Spencer Rattler or Jake Haener? Have they shown enough to make Shook want to take a chance on them next year?

Nope.

Shook tagged New Orleans as one of six teams who doesn’t...

Rizzi also said Alvin Kamara is likely a week away from returning while Derek Carr is still working to return but could not practice again Thursday.

Erik McCoy went down with an elbow injury against the Green Bay Packers, and Monday night’s loss will likely be the last time we have seen him suit up in 2024. Week 16 was the third time the New Orleans Saints center had to leave a contest due to injury.

Darren Rizzi was straightforward about McCoy’s outlook: “I don’t see Erik coming back right now.”

McCoy originally injured his groin in Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles. That was the beginning of the most injury riddled season of his career.

In his first game back from a seven game absence, McCoy had to leave again with a groin...

The Saints are still holding out hope that Derek Carr can return for a Week 17 game against the Las Vegas Raiders; Alvin Kamara likeliest to return in Week 18.

Never say never, but the New Orleans Saints don’t anticipate Pro Bowl center Erik McCoy playing in either of the final two games this season.

When NFL teams are eliminated from the playoffs, as the New Orleans Saints officially were this past weekend, they typically pivot to give more playing time to younger players so they can evaluate the entire roster.

The New Orleans Saints and Las Vegas Raiders finished their first practices on Thursday after taking Christmas day off to recover from Monday Night Football and celebrate with their families. Star wide receiver Chris Olave was a full participant and is considered day-by-day. Center Erik McCoy, who left Monday night’s game against the Green Bay Packers, was again absent with an elbow injury. McCoy’s backup Lucas Patrick was also absent with a knee injury. Running back Alvin Kamara remains absent as he tries to fight back to finish the season.

The Raiders added two players to Thursday’s...

Eight quarterbacks can set historic marks or reach career milestones in Week 17.

NEW ORLEANS — Drew Brees' Hall of Fame career nearly ended before it began, if not for timely advice from his mother.

Arguably, the greatest New Orleans Saints in the franchise's history almost quit football his sophomore year of high school.

"I thought I wasn't going to get a chance to play," Brees said during the "Going Long" podcast with former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel.

Brees says he was the backup quarterback to Johhny Rogers on junior varsity, and Johnny's older brother was the starting QB on the school's varsity team.

The former Super Bowl MVP told Daniels he would have...

Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is coming out of retirement from the NFL to sign with the Detroit Lions after coaching a high school football team to a state championship.

As promised, former New Orleans Saints backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is ending retirement for an NFL comeback. But the Saints fan-favorite isn’t coming back to New Orleans. Instead, he’s signing with a Super Bowl contender: the 13-2 Detroit Lions.

Bridgewater, 32, enjoyed immediate success as a high school football coach. In his first year on the job he led Miami Northwestern (his alma mater) to a state championship in 3A competition. Now he’s returning, at least briefly, to life as a player.

Just don’t look for the Lions to throw him into a game any time soon. Jared Goff is the...

After an abysmal performance in front of a nationwide audience on Monday night, it’s time to reflect on the New Orleans Saints rookie class and how they fared.

Many guys received opportunities this game with injuries across the board but a few struggled to produce with such a depleted unit. The production offensively was the talking points in this game, as there was quite literally no answer on that side of the ball. We saw better play on the defense/special teams side of things which is encouraging but after scoring zero points, there isn’t too much to hang your hat on.

With that said, here are our grades after Week 16 for our 2024 Saints rookie class: