Does This Saints Trade Proposal For No. 1 Draft Pick Make Any Sense?

New Orleans owns the No. 9 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft

Dec 28, 2024; Orlando, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward (1) warms up prior to the game against the Iowa State Cyclones at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

As the holders of the ninth-overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints are reasonably well-positioned to trade up for the No. 1 pick.

But what would such a move even look like? What would the Saints need to offer the Tennessee Titans, who own the first-overall pick?

Bleach Report's Brad Gagnon offered one potential answer in a piece published last week.

Saints receive: 2025 No. 1 pick
Titans receive: 2025 No. 9 pick, 2025 third-round pick, 2026 first-round pick, 2026 second-round pick

"This would be the exact same jump Carolina made two years ago, with the Saints leaping from No. 9 to No. 1," Gagnon wrote. "It's extremely unlikely considering that New Orleans still has Derek Carr and would be better off loading up on more picks if it were to finally commit to a rebuild, but it also can't be totally ruled out because... NFL.

"The Saints have an extra third-round pick this year. I believe they'd have to give that up along with the obvious 2026 first-rounder, and probably another Day 2 selection."

That seems like a reasonable return for the Titans, but the deal wouldn't make any sense for the Saints unless they're absolutely sold on Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward as franchise quarterbacks.

New Orleans is staring at a lengthy rebuild, one that shouldn't include trading a handful of premium draft picks to move up in a draft that's considered light on high-end talent. If the Saints are willing to make such a move, they should wait until next year's draft, which could have much better quarterback prospects.

There are cases to be made for the Saints moving up a few spots on the draft board. But moving all the way up to the No. 1 spot would be hard to justify.

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