Saints Blockbuster Cam Ward Trade Idea Sends Chris Olave, 5 Draft Picks To Titans

Do the Saints want Ward the way he seems to want them?

Dec 28, 2024; Orlando, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward (1) runs with the ball against the Iowa State Cyclones in the second quarter during the Pop Tarts bowl at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Could quarterback Cam Ward really be drafted by the New Orleans Saints?

The Saints own the ninth pick in the NFL Draft, so landing the Miami star, widely considered to be the top QB on the board, is a long shot. But Ward has made it clear, almost strangely so, that he'd be overjoyed to don a Saints uniform someday, whether that's now or sometime in the future.

“I loved watching Drew Brees and Colston out there,” Ward said earlier this month, per Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “It would be a dream of mine to play for them, if I get a chance someday. But that’s not really my focus right now.”

If the Saints do go after Ward, it's going to cost them a pretty penny. They could sweeten the deal by adding receiver Chris Olave, but when it comes down to it, they'll have to mortgage a huge chunk of their future draft reserves.

On Monday, John Sigler of Saints Wire proposed a hypothetical blockbuster that would bring the number-one pick (a.k.a. Ward) and Tennessee's sixth-rounder to New Orleans for Olave, New Orleans' 2025 and 2026 first-round picks, third- and fourth-rounders in 2025, and a second-rounder in 2027.

"Cam Ward loves the Saints, and in at least this scenario, the Saints love him back. They loved him so much to trade up for him," Sigler wrote.

"Trading Olave would be a disappointing end to his Saints tenure especially given how shaky a situation the team is in at wideout. But Rashid Shaheed has arguably surpassed Olave as the team's leading receiver."

It's hard to digest the offer above, but it's basically the same thing the Carolina Panthers sent the Chicago Bears to draft Bryce Young in 2023. That move looked unwise at first, though Young has rebuilt some of his value, but the precedent has been set if this is the direction New Orleans wants to take.

This isn't meant to close the door on the possibility, but the Saints have to be very certain Ward is their franchise guy if they're going to give up the proverbial farm for him.

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