Everyone wants to assume that the New Orleans Saints make sense as the Arch Manning destination in whatever NFL Draft he winds up entering.
He's the grandson of Saints legend Archie, and he's a Louisiana kid. It makes sense on paper, for sure.
Except that there's a different local narrative no one is talking about that has a chance to win out.
The Saints' offensive coordinator is Doug Nussmeier. If that name looks familiar, it's because LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier is a top NFL Draft prospect.
And yes, Doug is Garrett's father.
Garrett is much more likely than Arch to be a top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The LSU QB has already proven himself as a starter and has a potentially big year ahead.
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The Saints won't necessarily be in a position to sit around and wait an extra year for Arch if they can already get a top quarterback prospect next spring.
New Orleans is heading into this season with a three-way competition between Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener and second-round rookie Tyler Shough.
If it doesn't go well, the Saints could certainly abandon those paths and try to create a new one in the 2026 first round.
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Since Doug Nussmeier was just hired this season, it's likely he'll still be around at least another year. If he can coordinate this potentially undermanned offense to a decent season, that'll say a lot about his capabilities.
And then the Saints would have a chance to draft his kid.
It's not a given that father and son would want that connection, but it'd certainly be unique. It's also not a given that Doug would always be in town to be Garrett's OC.
But just the link itself is enough to pump the brakes on Manning speculation. There's another relation that may come into play first for the Saints.
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