Saints-Browns Blockbuster Trade Idea Lands 23-Year-Old Derek Carr Successor

Can New Orleans afford to trade up?

Jan 7, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view of the New Orleans Saints helmet during warmups against the Atlanta Falcons at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Not having a franchise quarterback is a painful feeling, and the New Orleans Saints have been experiencing it for half a decade.

Since the 2021 retirement of Saints icon Drew Brees, New Orleans has been struggling to find the long-term answer under center. They've had veteran former Pro Bowler Derek Carr on a $150 million contract for the last two years, but it's been an unsuccessful pairing.

Carr will be the starter again to begin the 2025 season, but the Saints could be opportunistic about finding his successor in the upcoming NFL Draft. But how much of their future are they willing to mortgage to get the quarterback they want?

One NFL writer has a hypothetical trade proposal that would put all of the Saints' eggs in the Shedeur Sanders basket,

On Sunday, Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport suggested that the Saints could trade the ninth-overall pick, their 2025 third-rounder, and their 2026 first-rounder to the Cleveland Browns, drafting Sanders with the Browns' second-overall pick.

"Frankly, the Saints should be hitting the reset button—stockpiling picks and enduring a “down” year in order to help get out of their cap nightmare. But New Orleans general manager Mickey Loomis has made it clear he doesn’t view the Saints as a rebuilding team," Davenport wrote.

"Derek Carr is barely a short-term option under center, let alone a long-term one. If New Orleans believes in Sanders, a move this aggressive wouldn’t be out of character for the franchise."

Sanders, 23, is the son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, and he's shown flashes of brilliance in college, too. The Colorado product passed for 64 touchdowns and only 13 interceptions over the past two seasons, wowing many scouts with his accuracy and composure.

Is Sanders worth giving up next year's first-round pick? Many Saints fans would probably argue that he's not, but Loomis' opinion (with input from first-year head coach and QB whisperer Kellen Moore) is really all that matters here.

More NFL: Saints Predicted To Land Shedeur Sanders In Blockbuster Trade With Patriots