A New Chapter - Saints Offseason Review

New Orleans' professional football organization has returned to being the "Aints" in the past few seasons of RedZone football. Five win seasons have quickly become the norm in the Bayou, and the paper bags are returning to the Superdome. Fans are sick of the culture brewing in the Saints organization and are calling for changes from top to bottom.

Signs calling to fire Coach Jordan are found in the stands as fans scatter and scramble for their vehicles. The chairs in the front office are heating up as fans become distressed by the reoccuring lack of success found time and time again. Following two 5-11 seasons, a demand for change grew increasingly louder and it needed to be met. The question is, where did the demolition need to begin?

Luckily, through the high draft picks recieved in losing seasons, the core of the New Orleans Saints is not recognizable from season 1, but the argument is that it has been built back better. Let's dive in to the regrettable decisions and game-changing ones.

Giraldo Season?

After trading back and forth in the efforts to secure the heir to Brees' vacated throne, the New Oreans Saints drafted Fernando Giraldo with the 12th overall pick. Brees walked away from football at 41, Jameis Winston demanded an unreasonable salary given the lack of playing time and upside he showcased on the field when he was under center. The need for a QB was unignorable. Giraldo, the 23 year old out of Alabama, saw his draft stock jump around as much as the Saints did to draft him.

Giraldo took the starting job instantly over Taysom Hill in the efforts to develop him into a servicable QB. While Giraldo improved since his first season, the youth did not help in the W-L column. In RZ65, Giraldo tallied 16 touchdowns with 22 interceptions, even with a stacked offense. Of course, more fault can be found in the coaching staff, but the stigma accompanying Giraldo stunk, and it was time to move forward.

Youth Movement

Through the draft, the Saints drafted SuperStar Montell Hannah, a speedster who was left off of many draft boards. He became a part of a loaded WR room in New Orleans, but he has made his way to becoming a leader in the locker room. The Saints also drafted RE Chris Logan, LE Sammy Teague (A STUD), and DROTY runner-up, CB Allen Goldsberry. TE Kevin McMichael has had a major impact in the absence of Jared Cook, and is a great go-to player on 3rd down.

The ancient core inherited by Coach Jordan has been quickly refilled with young talent that, with the right play-calling, could be a playoff team.

The Offseason of RZ65

After being terrible once again, pick number 5 fell into the Saints' lap. Initially, we thought to go and draft a tank to fill the DT position, but that quickly changed once the GM of the New York Jets knocked on the door. There was never a thought to trade for a QB in New Orleans, there was just the knowledge that Giraldo was improving but we'd never be a super successful organization. The Jets had just recently fallen short in a fantastic Super Bowl against the Cardinals, but Coach Moji was seeking a full rebuild.

After several versions of the deal had been discussed, the Saints agreed to send a plethora of draft picks for what would begin a new chapter in New Orleans, QB Sam Darnold.

"Sam has the potential to change the culture in New Orleans. Coach Moj has done an excellent job developing him into what he is now, and we are ecstatic to hit the practice field with him, and look forward to what he does here." - Coach Jordan following the news

Putting Pen to Paper

The Saints took advantage of the $60m in cap room, and went after Darnold, but wanted to pad the damage done by the deal. After trading 5+ picks, the desire in the front office was to get what we could get out of 31 year old Michael Thomas. After trading him to the Bengals, the Saints free up $20m in cap, and got a current second round pick, and future first.

This cap space turned into 7 new players for the Saints that will assist Sam Darnold in his mission to bring New Orleans back to the playoffs. The new chapter has begun in the Bayou, so stay tuned for what is to come.

Thanks for reading gents!