NFL offseasons are wildly unpredictable. Every year, coaches head to new teams, star players get bank-breaking contracts, and elite guys find new squads to join. The 2025 offseason will be no different. With only the Super Bowl left to be played, fans and media members are already outlining the storylines that could define the offseason.
With the way the NFL is currently designed, quarterback movement typically steals the headlines during the offseason. With guys like Sam Darnold, Kirk Cousins, and Russell Wilson possibly finding new teams this spring, that will certainly be the case this year as well.
The assumption is that a Sam Darnold signing is the first domino that needs to fall this offseason, and after that, various other moves will be carried out. With that in mind, ESPN’s Ben Solak recently mapped out possible quarterback movement based on what Darnold does. Going through four different scenarios, Solak gave a detailed ripple of events that could happen with each Darnold decision.
One of those scenarios involved the New Orleans Saints, and it was the scenario centered around Darnold staying with the Minnesota Vikings. Solak argued if that happens, he could see Daniel Jones going to the Indianapolis Colts, Kirk Cousins to the Cleveland Browns, Jameis Winston to the New York Jets, Will Levis to the Las Vegas Raiders, and the Saints trading Derek Carr to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Saints trade Derek Carr to Steelers in ESPN’s wild six-team scenario
For the New Orleans part of this equation, Solak argued that if Darnold is taken off the board and stays in Minnesota, the trade market will heat up. For solid veterans that teams would be willing to part with this offseason, Derek Carr is the best.
"In Darnold's absence, I could see the trade market getting hot for a player like Carr, the next-best option for two to three years of acceptable play. The Steelers and coach Mike Tomlin need that plug-and-play fix at quarterback to finally find some postseason wins before seats start to get too hot. Could they work with the Saints to get New Orleans some cap relief in return for Carr's services? I think it's doable."Ben Solak (ESPN)
This is definitely a scenario that would make a lot of Saints fans happy. While Carr might give the team the best chance to win of quarterbacks currently on New Orleans’ roster, the team’s ceiling hasn’t been high with him under center, and he’s certainly not the long-term answer for the franchise.
Fans are ready to move on from Carr, and place the chips on a younger quarterback that could evolve into the franchise quarterback for years to come. If another team is willing to take Derek Carr off the Saints’ hands and kickstart that process, New Orleans should be more than willing to make the trade.