Every Starting Quarterback For The New Orleans Saints Since 2000
The New Orleans Saints were actually a model of stability at the quarterback position for roughly 20 years. Long time Saints fans might think that's a hot take, but after looking at the stats, its not.
Gong back to the year 2000, the Saints were leaving the Mike Ditka era, and looking to start over with a new coach and new quarterback. The coach they hired was Jim Haslett, and they made some moves for quarterbacks. The signed free agent Jeff Blake to be their starter, a guy who had previously made the Pro Bowl with Cincinnati. They traded the Green Bay Packers for backup quarterback Aaron Brooks, and drafted future Pro Bowl quarterback Marc Bulger in the 6th round. They also came into the season holding onto future Pro Bowl and Super Bowl starting quarterback Jake Delhomme.
Blake Started the 2000 season cemented as the starter, but broke his foot in Week 11, and Aaron Brooks took over. Brooks then proceeded to guide the Saints to their first ever playoff win in franchise history, beating the St. Louis Rams in the Wild Card round, before losing to the Minnesota Vikings in the Divisional Round. (Sidenote, the Offensive Coordinator for the Saints first playoff win? Current Dallas Cowboys Coach Mike McCarthy)
Brooks would then start every game between 2001 and 2004 for the Saints. He would start the first 13 games of the 2005 season, before being benched. You might not remember the 2005 seasons for the Saints very well, because that was the season disrupted by Hurricane Katrina. Forcing the Saints to play in LSU's Tiger Stadium and The Alamodome in San Antonio.
But the point is that Brooks held down the starting job from Week 12 of the 2000 season to Week 14 of the 2005 season. After that, a guy named Drew Brees showed up in New Orleans. Brees would go on to start virtually every game, or be considered the starter while injured, from 2006 to the end of 2020.
That's essentially two quarterbacks considered to be the starter, from the year 2000 to 2020. Two starting quarterbacks, who both won playoff games. Two quarterbacks who will both be in the franchise Hall of Fame (Brooks is already there, Brees is a lock). That's stability.
However, that doesn't mean there weren't other quarterbacks to start games along the way. In fact, there were 5 other quarterbacks (besides Brees and Brooks) to start games for the Saints after Aaron Brooks took over in 2000. Which is actually the same amount of quarterbacks who have started games for the Saints since Drew Brees retired.
Check out the quarterbacks who have started for the Saints between the year 2000 and Week 11 of the 2022 season.