Article Exploring How the Saints Could Trade Up for Cam Ward

[3ParStillDriver]

If I were the Titans I'd take him. Its there. It's free. The price has been paid by a terrible season. Sure, if someone is willing to pay a kings ransom for that pick, you have to consider it. But there are only 4 players better (Carter, Graham, Jeanty and Warren) but none of them are QB's and out of those 4, maybe only Jeanty can carry an offense. But Ward might be able to also, and franchise QB's are excessively rare, so you have to take one over a franchise RB.

 

[tyler735]

So it looks like the Titans are going to take Ward and it would take a crazy trade offer to get him. So, as much as I like Ward, I don't think we are in a position to get him for a trade that would make sense.

Hopefully Moore sees a 2nd to 4th round guy that he likes and thinks he can develop. Regardless of what anyone thinks about Carr, he only has one year left on his deal after this year at a crazy high salary, and he's about to be 34 so it's time to get a young QB in the building to develop if at all possible. We built an offensive staff to teach and develop young QBs, it's time to start adding more of those to the QB room. If not this year, then next year.

I'd imagine Rattler will also fit the bill for that if we aren't going all in on trying to trade up for Ward. I am very curious to see how Rattler develops under Moore's coaching (and hopefully with real weapons on offense this year).

 

[JackDiesel]

Well never gonna find another franchise QB through Free Agency so might be a bust but gotta roll the dice since we always teeter tottng with making the playoffs , so gonna have to trade up to get one eventually

Yeah FA is out. And finding a QB in the draft will help us get our cap right since you get 4 years of QB play at a massive discount. I think it's a year early to pull the trigger on a trade but if Moore found his guy and we don't have to overpay then I'd be down.

 

[texasjefe]

Wasn't Bradshaw the number one overall pick by the Steelers? Bob Griese with the Dolphins? Jim McMahon? Phil Simms? Troy Aikman?

Not including Elway or Eli is technically correct but seems like semantics.

Bradshaw 1970 1.1
Griese 1967 1.4
McMahon 1982 1.5
Simms 1979 1.7
Aikman 1989 1.1

5 QB's from before free agency started. Before 1993, you either had to draft them or trade for them. Also, pre-1978, the regular season was 14 games.

 

[St. Widge]

I'd imagine Rattler will also fit the bill for that if we aren't going all in on trying to trade up for Ward. I am very curious to see how Rattler develops under Moore's coaching (and hopefully with real weapons on offense this year).

I like Rattler and think he is likely to be a good backup at worst, but I want to take as many lotto tickets as possible at QB. And, ideally, I would like someone who is more mobile than Rattler.

 

[texasjefe]

The Saints have a pair of 3rd round picks, and a pair of 4th round picks. There's no reason they shouldn't draft a QB to knock Haener into the world of fashion modeling.

If they take a guy a with a 2nd pick (#40), then they will draft again at #71, #93, #112, #131

 

[Pkessling]

Since the speculation started, I think about what it would cost the Saints to move up and select Miami's Cam Ward with the top pick. Here's what I came up with. Enjoy!!

Exploring Saints Trade-Up Scenarios for Top Pick Cam Ward

It’s always interesting to see how stories can start a life of their own based on what has been said by certain people, especially regarding the New Orleans Saints. Last Monday, former Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward received the Manning Award, which is presented in the city of New...

sportsview360.com

Disclaimer: This is pure speculation by me; I give it a 30% chance of happening.

Why? Trade up for a QB in a weak QB draft. No thanks.

 

[SystemShock]

Wasn't Bradshaw the number one overall pick by the Steelers? Bob Griese with the Dolphins? Jim McMahon? Phil Simms? Troy Aikman?

Sure, in 1970, 1967, 1982, 1979, and 1989, respectively.

Not including Elway or Eli is technically correct but seems like semantics.

Why would I include Elway? He was drafted in 1983 and retired in 1998.

Even if I include Eli as a draft pick, still, that's only 3 QBs picked in the 1st round within the first 10 picks that won SBs with the franchises that drafted them.

 

[SystemShock]

You also don't see teams without a good QB on that list.

Sure. But the point of that list was to demonstrate that betting the house on a rookie QB normally (even overwhelmingly) does not lead to SBs. Because that's what this thread is about, how the Saints could trade to get Cam Ward, right?

You're also not screwed if you trade up and fail. The 49ers gave up 3 first round picks and a 3rd to get Trey Lance. Completely whiffed and played in the Superbowl 2-3 years later.

Sure they did... with a QB who was the 262th pick in the 2022 draft and made Trey Lance expendable, and a number of very good players around him.

And again, I am not saying teams don't need good QBs... what I am saying is, teams don't need to spend a boatload of picks to take a QB within the first 10 picks of the draft, because in today's NFL, it rarely leads to SB wins.

 

[strandedsaint]

NO THANKS, Brady was picked in the 6th round. Brock Purdy dead last as Mr Irrelevant.
we need way to much help to give up that much

 

[RJS]

Sure, in 1970, 1967, 1982, 1979, and 1989, respectively.


Why would I include Elway? He was drafted in 1983 and retired in 1998.

Even if I include Eli as a draft pick, still, that's only 3 QBs picked in the 1st round within the first 10 picks that won SBs with the franchises that drafted them.

I guess I don't understand your point. Are you trying to put a time limit on what and when QB's were drafted by their team?

Next year 25-30% of the starting QB's in the league will be number one overall draft picks, much less top ten.

 

[JackDiesel]

Why? Trade up for a QB in a weak QB draft. No thanks.

Because if they think they found their guy then they should do whatever it takes to land him. If Ward is a perfect fit for the kind of offense Moore wants then shouldn't he give up a couple firsts and some other stuff to land him?

We've been in the market for a QB more or less since KC jumped us to land Mahommes. I don't think they liked Love that much and I don't know if Payton saw Jackson as a fit at the time. Pickett was an easy no. Any potential franchise QB we could have traded up for would have made a trade up for Ward seem cheap. Our reclamation projects of Bridgewater and Winston didn't work out. Lost track of how many 3-5th round picks haven't hit. We almost sunk our franchise with Watson. Carr's taken us nowhere despite getting the largest contract in franchise history (but just average for a QB).

You either get stuck in purgatory like Pittsburgh or make the move to land your guy. If it's not for Ward this year I bet they'll do something next year.

 

[SystemShock]

The sample size is also really small for trade ups. How many QBs were drafted over the past 20 years that involved significant trades?

You could do some research yourself... first search hit I got was an ESPN article from 2021, listing them all to that point in time (according to them).

Between 2000 and 2021, 1st round, top 1-10 picks:

Josh Rosen 10th overall - bust
Mitchell Trubisky 2nd overall - bust
Robert Griffin III 2nd overall (who wasn't a bust really, he got hurt, but still...)
Sam Darnold 3rd overall - bust for the Jets/Panthers/9ers (we'll see with the Seahawks)
Jared Goff 1st overall - Rams/Lions teams so good, they won a lot of games even with him at QB
Trey Lance 3rd overall - bust for the 9ers, on his 3rd team.
Carson Wentz 2nd overall - bust
Blaine Gabbert 10th overall - bust
Mark Sanchez 5th overall - el busto supremo
Michael Vick 1st overall - was doing well, until...

1st round:

Tim Tebow
Kyle Boller
DeShaun Watson
Paxton Lynch
Johnny Manziel
Teddy Bridgewater
Paxton Lynch
Josh Freeman
Brady Quinn
Jay Cutler
Jason Campbell
J.P. Lossman

Before 2000, not pretty either... you got Ryan Leaf, Jeff George, Steve Fuller... Steve Bartkowski...

The only 4 successful QBs that have been part of a draft day trade for a pick in the draft are Josh Allen ( 7th overall, no SB yet), Jordan Love (26th overall, 1 season, got to see more), Lamar Jackson ( 32nd overall, regular season MVP, irrelevant in the playoffs), and Mahomes.

 

[SystemShock]

I guess I don't understand your point. Are you trying to put a time limit on what and when QB's were drafted by their team?

I clearly stated since 2000, i.e. this century, which goes back 25 years. And again, the post is in the context of trading for a QB inside the 1st 10 overall picks.