Saints’ Three-Time All-Pro Offensive Lineman Announces Retirement

Wow, the New Orleans Saints are kind of between a rock and a hard place, huh? It’s like they knew it was time to shake things up after last year’s not-so-great season. I mean, who would want to have a repeat of their 2024 performance? Entering the offseason, they were kind of scrambling, probably like I do when I realize coffee’s out and I’m not awake yet. Derek Carr didn’t quite hit the mark, and there’s talk that he might not stick around at QB. Not totally shocking news, but still—you gotta wonder who they’ll pick next. Maybe they’ll draft someone fresh or maybe snag a vet who’s lurking in free agency. Decisions, decisions, right?

There’s also the whole deal of filling in the blanks where they’ve been lacking (and maybe that’s everywhere?). They’ve got holes to fill like Swiss cheese, if they want to really take the NFC South by storm. Oh, and speaking of rough patches, their offensive line just got a little more—how do I say this?—incomplete? Yeah, let’s go with that. Because Ari Meirov dropped the bomb that Ryan Ramczyk’s hanging up his cleats. The dude called it quits—three-time All-Pro—outta here. That’s like your favorite tweed jacket finally giving up. Wait, no, scratch that. It’s more significant.

Anyway, for those keeping count, Ramczyk was a pretty solid pick back in 2017. The guy was practically an anchor on the field, especially when he was out there protecting Drew Brees. So now the Saints need to roll out the blueprints again. Yep, time to puzzle out who covers that massive gap in their O-line.

The NFC South is, let’s say, a bit of a free-for-all these days. You almost feel like any team with a decent strategy could step up and call dibs on dominance—if they play the right cards. Like one big poker game, but, you know, with way more padding and less bluffing. The Saints could be scrambling now, but they might just surprise us if they pick the right players and get their act together.

And just when you think it’s over, turns out they’ve got their eye on some QB talent. I’m guessing behind closed doors there are a ton of scribbles on note pads and pros-and-cons lists on whiteboards. Sometimes it feels like football is a giant, nerve-racking chess match. Or, maybe more like my last game of Risk, where strategy and caffeine were both in short supply.

So, let’s see what happens next. Football never really stops, does it?