The New Orleans Saints are at a crossroads entering the 2025 NFL Draft. After a disappointing 5-12 season, the team holds the 9th overall pick—a prime position to land a top-tier prospect potentially. However, given their current roster and precarious salary cap situation, the Saints would be wise to break from tradition and trade down to accumulate more draft capital. This move could provide a much-needed infusion of young, cost-controlled talent, helping the franchise build a more sustainable and competitive roster for the future.
The Salary Cap Crunch
The Saints are notorious for their creative salary cap management. General manager Mickey Loomis has executed a high-wire act year after year, restructuring deals and pushing cap hits into the future. However, the bill has finally come due. The team faces another offseason of financial gymnastics, needing to restructure numerous contracts to become cap-compliant.
Quarterback Derek Carr is the most obvious candidate for a trade that would save significant cap space. Trading Carr would save the Saints $11.4 million, but Loomis has already publicly committed to him as the starting quarterback for 2025. Beyond Carr, the Saints lack viable trade options to create substantial cap relief, with no other player potentially freeing even $4 million in space. This limited flexibility makes acquiring young, inexpensive talent through the draft all the more critical.
A History of Trading Up
The Saints have long been one of the NFL’s most aggressive teams on draft day. Since the turn of the century, they have traded up in the first three rounds 12 times—more than nearly every other franchise. While this strategy has occasionally yielded stars like Alvin Kamara and Marcus Davenport, it has also left the Saints with a shallow pool of rookie contract talent.
This strategy exacerbates the Saints’ current salary cap issues. By constantly sacrificing future picks to move up, the team has reduced its margin for error in roster building. They’ve often relied on veteran signings and restructures to fill gaps, which only perpetuates the cycle of cap manipulation and limits long-term planning.
Related: Saints Select Ashton Jeanty at No.9 in First-Round Mock Draft
The Value of Trading Down
If the Saints were to trade down from the 9th overall pick, they could acquire multiple picks in the first three rounds. This draft class offers depth at several positions where New Orleans needs help, including the offensive line, defensive line, and wide receiver. Dropping 10 to 15 spots could allow the Saints to select a high-quality prospect while adding valuable Day 2 picks.
For example, the Saints could target a team desperate to move up for a quarterback or a top-tier defensive player. A trade-down scenario could result in the Saints holding an additional second and third-round pick, providing three to four selections in the top 100. The influx of rookies would help the team address several areas of need with affordable, cap-friendly contracts.
Filling Multiple Needs
The Saints have glaring needs on both sides of the ball. Their offensive line struggled with injuries and inconsistency in 2024, and the defensive line lacked the pass-rushing punch that was a hallmark of previous teams. The wide receiver corps also needs an infusion of talent, particularly with Michael Thomas no longer in the mix.
By trading down, the Saints could still select a quality offensive lineman or pass rusher while adding picks to address the secondary and linebacker depth and possibly even draft a developmental quarterback. The team could replicate the success of organizations like the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, which have consistently built their rosters through strong drafts and accumulated picks.
Breaking the Cycle
The Saints need to shift their mindset from being a team perpetually in “win-now” mode to one that builds for sustained success. The NFC South remains one of the weaker divisions in football, but New Orleans is not currently positioned to take advantage. Trading down in the draft would signal that the team prioritizes the franchise’s long-term health over short-term gains.
The Saints have yet to trade down in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft this century. It’s a bold move that could break a cycle of aggressive, sometimes desperate, roster building. It would also allow the Saints to draft multiple rookies who could develop into long-term starters or valuable role players.
A Necessary Change
Trading down from the 9th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft might not be the most exciting move, but it is smart. The Saints need to face the reality of their situation: they are a rebuilding team with a middling roster and limited financial flexibility. The best path forward involves accumulating more draft picks, targeting value in the middle rounds, and developing a young core of players who can contribute immediately and grow with the franchise.
By making this move, the Saints can start laying the foundation for a brighter future—one where they can build a more competitive and financially stable team.
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