Saints could learn from Chiefs about refusal to draft quarterbacks

The New Orleans Saints could learn a thing or two from the Kansas City Chiefs about their approach at quarterback.

On Monday, the New Orleans Saints signed a familiar face to be their new starting quarterback for the next half-decade or so. Derek Carr announced that he’d reached a decision on his home after being released by the Las Vegas Raiders to sign with the Saints on a multi-year deal that will give head coach Dennis Allen a new offensive captain.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with Carr as a starter for a team like the Saints. Next year, there will be several starting quarterbacks in the NFL who will fare much worse than Carr, and there was a reason why Carr had multiple suitors this offseason before making his decision.

But, yeah, the Saints still need to learn a thing or two—and they’d be wise to call the Kansas City Chiefs. According to Adam Schefter, the Saints “have not used a first- or second-round pick on a QB since 1971, when they picked Archie Manning, and that appears unlikely to change with Derek Carr’s expected signing.

It wasn’t so long ago that Chiefs Kingdom knew the pain of the Saints’ fan base all too well. The Chiefs drafted Todd Blackledge in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft, and after such a pitiful swing-and-miss, the franchise became too scared to do so again until 38 years had passed and John Dorsey moved up to grab Patrick Mahomes in 2017.

Chiefs fans who remember that void so well should take comfort in knowing it could have been worse. The Saints have now gone 51 drafts without taking another first-round quarterback, per Adam Schefter above. Making that even worse is that it includes the second round. That’s over a half-century without even trying to stumble onto greatness at the most important position in the game.

At least the Chiefs made some second-round attempts over the years, a still depressing list that includes Mike Elkins in 1989 and Matt Blundin in 1997. Neither would ever start a single game for the Chiefs despite being such a high pick.

The Chiefs were fortunate to climb back to respectability in the last decade with the hiring of Andy Reid as head coach and the savvy move to trade for Alex Smith, who helped stabilize a healthy offense that stood among the league’s best for five seasons. That’s a notable achievement, but even that was a lower ceiling than Super Bowl glory and that was really a best-case scenario without reaching for a new franchise face.

Carr might cement the Saints as playoff contenders for the next few years in a softer AFC South, but the truth is that it just adds a few more years on any real threat they might become if they had the guts to go for it in the draft.