Saints-Jaguars Blockbuster Trade Idea Lands Derek Carr's Successor With No. 5 Pick

The New Orleans Saints' current arrangement with quarterback Derek Carr is the definition of a stopgap solution.

Carr, who signed a four-year, $150 million deal with the Saints before the 2023 season, was initially speculated as a candidate to be traded or even released before restructuring his contract earlier this offseason. Even though he's signed through 2026, this seems like the last year Carr is likely to be the Saints' starter.

The Saints will be searching for a young franchise quarterback at some point in the near future, but the question now is how soon. Will they look to draft Carr's potential successor while he's still in the building, or will they push that task aside until 2026?

One Saints writer believes New Orleans could not only take a quarterback in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but trade up to do so.

On Wednesday, Ryan Heckman of FanSided proposed a blockbuster trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars, allowing New Orleans to move up to the fifth pick in the first round to select Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

"The Saints are anything but set at quarterback for the future. Derek Carr is still on this team, but New Orleans has to start planning for the future. If Shedeur Sanders were to last past the top four picks, then it could be show time," Heckman wrote.

"New Orleans grabs Sanders who will sit behind Carr, for now, but also has Kellen Moore there now to help in his development. The Saints are likely a much more appealing spot for Sanders, too, rather than potentially going to a team like Cleveland or Tennessee."

In Heckman's proposal, the Saints would ship the ninth-overall pick, their 2025 third-rounder (No. 93 overall), and their 2026 second-rounder to Jacksonville to get their hands on Sanders.

Sanders, 23, impressed during his two years with the Buffaloes, racking up 64 passing touchdowns to just 13 interceptions. The son of Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, it's clear the younger Sanders has instincts and feel for the position that should translate to the professional level.

Whether the Saints feel confident enough in Sanders to stake their future to him remains to be seen. And it's one thing to hope he falls to them at nine, but mortgaging future picks to move up to five is a far bigger bet on the young signal-caller.

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