The Saints have Drew Brees under contract for the 2017 campaign, but given that Brees in nearing 40 years old, New Orleans head coach Sean Payton admitted to SiriusXM NFL Radio that his club is always interested in adding quarterback talent.
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“I think that topic exists and has existed because of the nature of the position,” Payton said. “I think we’re in the quarterback business always because they’re so difficult to find. And there’s been a year or two we’re close to drafting maybe a player (at the position) and he went a little before we were ready to pick. And certainly you pay attention to it when your quarterback’s older.”
Clearly, Payton is addressing the relative value of quarterbacks in contrast to other players that could be available, and isn’t specifically referencing the 2017 draft. However, his comments shed light on the Saints’ potential line of thinking, and perhaps indicate that the club isn’t simply counting on Brees, with whom New Orleans is not exploring another extension, to continually defy Father Time.
The Saints did take a chance on a quarterback in 2015 by selecting Garrett Grayson in the third round, but the former Colorado signal-caller was waived before his second NFL season began. This year, quarterbacks such as Mitch Trubisky, Deshaun Watson, and DeShone Kizer could be available when New Orleans picks at No. 11, while Patrick Mahomes and Brad Kaaya might be Day 2 considerations.