Kellen Moore has already identified the quarterback he wants to rebuild the New Orleans Saints with, in his first head coaching job. Joe Milton III has garnered a lot of attention after his NFL debut. It looks like the Saints are willing to take the bait.
Per a Sports Illustrated story, the Saints are rumored to be interested in trading for Milton. It could be a move that happens in the next few days. According to Scott Zolak, a team broadcaster for the New England Patriots, he’s confident a deal could be done before the NFL Draft.
That means Moore is looking to move on from Derek Carr and has no interest in his tenure in the Big Easy being linked to Carr, who has had some injury issues with the Saints. With the NFL Draft being thin with quarterback prospects, Moore getting Milton could be good for a couple reasons.
For one, it would cost him at best, a third round pick. It would allow him to get a young quarterback that has some upside. It also means they don’t have to take an early gamble on a quarterback that might not be developed right now.
Not saying Milton is the best option for the Saints right now, but he could be an option that pays out in the end.
Kellen Moore taking the ultimate gamble with Joe Milton that could either work or flop
The biggest issue I have with Moore looking at Milton is that with this being his first head coaching job, does he really want Milton being the quarterback that dictates how his coaching career goes in New Orleans.
Look at what happened with Robert Saleh. Zach Wilson and Aaron Rodgers tainted Saleh, so much so that it cost him his job. He was a defensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers before taking over the Jets.
He turned to Zach Wilson as the quarterback to turn things around and it failed. So much so that they scrambled to trade for Aaron Rodgers. That failed too and it cost Saleh his job.
Moore could have that same fate with Milton and is Milton really the quarterback you want to determine if you’re going to have a successful tenure or not?
Then again, what other options are there? That’s why I understand why the Saints would be heavily interested in getting Milton, the question Moore has to ask himself is if it’s worth it.
For a player that has just one NFL start, I would say it’s probably not. Now if Moore signed a bridge quarterback and traded for Milton, I could get behind that. That would give Milton less pressure to be the face of the franchise and allow for the bridge option to fail first before throwing Milton out there.
Milton’s lone NFL game was against the Buffalo Bills second unit. I’m not saying his stats are inflated, but is it truly worth it for a player that was a sixth-round pick and his potential is still undecided?
That’s what Moore has to take into consideration as he has the task of turning things around in New Orleans. The good thing is the NFC South is so bad, he might just get away with Milton and end up turning things around quickly.