New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr could miss the 2025 season with a shoulder injury, which means the team could be desperate to trade up in the 2025 NFL Draft. While Carr hasn’t played up to expectations during his time in the Big Easy, he has been a solid starting quarterback who has played well when healthy. The Saints haven’t made the playoffs since Drew Brees called it a career, and it probably won’t happen in 2025 if the veteran misses the campaign.
Even before this news broke, most believed Carr would not return to the team in 2026. First-year head coach Kellen Moore needed to find a long-term answer at the position, and Carr’s injury only increases that need. In a recent post, Evan Lazar of Patriots.com proposed a trade where New England sends their fourth-overall pick to the Saints for their first, second, and 2026 third-round picks.
BREAKING: Reporter Proposes Blockbuster NFL Draft Trade Between Saints, Patriots
While every trade is different, we can use Draftek’s trade value chart to see how fair a proposal this is. According to their math, the Patriots first-round pick is worth 1,800 points, while the Saints first- and second-round selections are worth a combined 1850 points. Drafttek doesn’t evaluate 2026 picks, but we can estimate the value. Generally speaking, a 2026 third-round pick would be roughly as valuable as a 2025 fourth-round pick, and a mid-fourth-round pick is worth approximately 55 points.
Using this rough math, the Patriots would be on the winning end of this deal by roughly the equivalent of a late-third-round pick. However, Drafttek’s metrics do not include the value of the quarterback position. Quarterbacks are easily the most important position in football, so New Orleans should be willing to slightly overspend, especially with the aggressive Mickey Loomis as General Manager.
On paper, this deal makes sense for both sides. However, that doesn’t mean a trade between the Patriots and Saints is imminent. New Orleans will only do this for the right player, and New England will only trade down if they think they can find a similar talent with the ninth overall pick.
Who Will Be on the Board?
Fortunately for both teams, it appears as though conditions could facilitate a trade. While anything could happen once the NFL Draft officially starts, all signs point towards the first three picks being Miami’s Cam Ward, Colorado’s Travis Hunter, and Penn State’s Abdul Carter. This leaves Colorado’s Sheduer Sanders free for the taking, and the Saints could trade up in the draft.
The Patriots, meanwhile, already have their franchise quarterback in UNC’s Drake Maye. Unfortunately, they need to find the proper pieces to support him. While the team spent big in free agency, they still have glaring holes at wide receiver and along the offensive line. Seeing as there isn’t an elite prospect available at either position with the fourth-overall pick, they should want to trade down and accumulate draft picks. Chances are, they can find a similar prospect with the ninth-overall pick and use the additional selections to make life easier for Maye and head coach Mike Vrabel.
Main Photo: Michael Ciaglo – Imagn Images
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