The New Orleans Saints are in salary cap hell, and general manager Mickey Loomis dragged the franchise down with him. New head coach Kellen Moore has a long leash in part because of what he's inheriting. The Saints could use a fresh start, especially at the quarterback position. Derek Carr seems unwilling to do them any favors.
While the cap is just a number and, in some case, a figment of general managers' imaginations, it can only be avoided for so long. The Saints cap mismanagement is well-documented, but one way out of such a predicament would be building around a rookie quarterback. This is why Cam Ward's visit and comments about playing for New Orleans should be taken seriously.
“I loved watching Drew Brees and (receiver Marques) Colston out there,” Ward said Monday. “It would be a dream of mine to play for them, if I get a chance someday. But that’s not really my focus right now.”
Cam Ward would love to play for New Orleans Saints
The likely No. 1 pick enjoyed his meeting with Kellen Moore especially.
“It was a great meeting,” Ward said. “If you get a chance to go play for a Super Bowl-winning coach like Coach Moore. He knows how to dial up the playbook. The biggest thing I took away from that meeting was that you just have to be prepared at all times, whether you go in as a starter or you go in as a backup. You never know when your number is going to be called.”
Ward knows as well as most that the Saints would have to put together an outlandish trade package to move up to No. 1 and select the Miami product. The Tennessee Titans currently hold that pick, and while they have flirted with selecting the likes of Abdul Carter, there is still a good chance they take Ward. If not, either Cleveland or New York would be his new home.
hat would it take for Saints to move up to take Cam Ward in NFL Draft?
Mel Kiper Jr. currently projects Ward to be a Titan, meaning Tennessee GM Mike Borgonzi should remain near his phone for the next few weeks.
Here is what that outlandish trade might look like.
The Saints do have an extra third-round pick this year, which would lessen the blow slightly of trading away two picks in the first three rounds this April. Next year, New Orleans would also have to fork over two picks in the first four rounds, with one of those being the Saints 2026 first rounder. This is a similar trade to the one Carolina made with the Chicago Bears to move up from No. 9 and select Bryce Young. There is a precedent for this kind of trade, and it basically means such a transaction wouldn't be cheap for New Orleans.
However, if Moore and Saints are hellbent on landing Ward as their QB of the future, the Titans ought to listen, as they'd then have two first-round picks to use on next year's quarterback class, which most experts deem as far superior to 2025.