Mickey Loomis is known for being aggressive, but could this be the year he goes for broke? The New Orleans Saints were listed as one of five surprise teams who could trade into the 2024 NFL draft’s top 10 picks by Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton.
Why would they do that? Moton says it should a move for a quarterback to develop as Derek Carr’s replacement. New Orleans has been aggressive, but it’s doubtful they will be that aggressive. Restarting with a rookie quarterback would help the team avoid their annual salary cap gymnastics. Moton writes:
In all likelihood, Carr will get another opportunity to take the Saints to the playoffs, but New Orleans shouldn’t rule out a move into a top-10 spot for a quarterback with more potential. The Saints have the 14th overall pick, so they wouldn’t have to make a massive leap to get the third- or fourth-best signal-caller in the draft.
New Orleans can sit its rookie signal-caller for the 2024 campaign and then reassess its thoughts on Carr next offseason. In 2025, the club can opt to find a trade partner that appeals to Carr or cut him in a transition to an upstart signal-caller.
Sitting a rookie for a year would allow the Saints to grab their quarterback of the future while also keeping Carr as the starter this season. But there are two major issues with this theory for New Orleans. The Saints are committed to Carr, not stuck with him. Carr may not be the future at the position in three or four years, but Dennis Allen will give him every opportunity to earn that opportunity.
The other issue is the Saints aren’t necessarily in a position to trade up for a player who won’t impact their 2024 season. Allen could lose his job if the Saints are unsuccessful this season and again fall short of the playoffs. Their first-round pick should be spent on an immediate-impact player. If that quarterback can’t at least show promise as a rookie, Allen may never see the benefit of drafting them.
