Bobby Hebert had a career 12-0 record against AFC Teams by 1991 as a Saint Quarterback
They got stuck between a rock and a hard place unfortunately. Hebert wanted money and held out - so we had a super bowl defense and nobody to run the offense as Fourcade proved to be a 3 game flash in the pan at the end of 89’.
It was unfortunate timing. Hebert had leverage and Finks didn’t bend. We ended up with a QB that wasn’t much better than Fourcade in 1990 and went 8-8 and to the playoffs on the back of the defense.
Hebert came back the next season and we won our first division. Could have been a year earlier - maybe.
If Hebert had been a 2-3x Pro-Bowler, he might've gotten his demands but while he certainly had his moments and while he was perhaps was the best QB for Mora's overly-conservative offense, compared to Randall Cunningham, Montana, Simms, or even Jim Everett, Hebert was seen as a very good, "game-managing", Trent Dilfer-like QB. Decent, maybe good at his very best, but not great.
Plus, if you examine Finks past with other NFL teams as GM, he didnt view QB as an absolute " centerpiece " necessary to guide a potential perennial playoff team. The only HOF QB he had was Fran Tarkenton and he didnt select or draft him, Grant wanted to trade for him in early 1972, and Finks went along with it. He refused a 1979 pre-season trade offer for Kenny Stabler, he refused to draft Joe Montana in the 1979 Draft even though his scouts, Bears HC and his assistants and a few Bears players, like Walter Payton, were pleading for him to do it.
Plus, player movements in the late 80's/early 90's was lot more limited with "Plan B" free agency, and no general salary cap. Owners and GM's had a lot more power, control and ability to play hard-ball even with QB's, WR's or star players with multiple Pro Bowls. Look at the John Jefferson case with San Diego contract fallout in the 1981 season, one of the NFL's best WR's at the time wanted more money and was willing to hold out all season long if necessary. San Diego Chargers owner Gene Klein instead ships him off for high draft picks to a team then-perennial loser, Green Bay Packers, where Jefferson got his money, but his career numbers never were the same even in a pass-happy Offense under Lynn Dickey. One big problem already was that the early 80's Packers had their top, Pro-Bowl WR in James Lofton and a Pro-Bowl TE in Paul Coffman, how do you fit a guy like Jefferson into that role plus Bart Starr, the HC, was no HC or offensive-minded genius like Don Coryell, either?
John Jefferson got the worst end of both deals in the end, except for maybe getting his new contract requests.
A similar process happened to Eric Dickerson early during the 1987 season with L.A. Rams except Dickerson sort of made it work better and he had a friendly mentor helping him out in Ron Meyer, his SMU college HC.