NFL Exec Suggests Saints Should 'Tear' Roster Down to Land Arch Manning in 2026 Draft

A pair of NFL executives believe there's no time like the present for the New Orleans Saints to embrace a full rebuild.

One exec argued the franchise should basically pull out all the stops to land Texas quarterback Arch Manning.

"It is easy to say from afar, but of all the teams, New Orleans, you can go get Arch Manning!" they said to The Athletic's Mike Sando. "Tear the thing down! You are not really competitive, you have no answer at QB, you are bloated, you have cap issues and in a year, the prodigal son could return home. What am I missing?"

The other executive spoke more broadly about New Orleans' direction.

"If the Saints said they were blowing it up, their fans would all get it," the exec added. "This is a year you probably could have traded Derek Carr."

As the grandson of Archie Manning, Arch has obvious ties to the Saints, and he attended high school at Isidore Newman in New Orleans. The storylines write themselves.

Until the Longhorns signal-caller starts for a full season in college, though, it seems a little premature to present him as a prospect you orient your future around. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Thursday on Get Up it's not even a foregone conclusion Manning will declare for the 2026 draft.

When it comes to the Saints, you could substitute in a different prospect and make the same broad point.

The refusal by general manager Mickey Loomis isn't serving New Orleans well. The team has missed the playoffs for four straight years, and its 5-12 record in 2024 was its worst since 2005.

All of the salary-cap gymnastics Loomis has performed in an effort to maintain a contender are being paid back in full. The Saints have an old, expensive roster with a limited ceiling. They've yet to find a true successor to Drew Brees as a permanent solution at quarterback, too.

When New Orleans looks like a playoff outsider as currently constructed, it might as well lose games in service of achieving a long-term goal.