With the 2025 NFL Draft mere hours away, one of the more interesting teams fans are keeping an eye on is the New Orleans Saints.

Currently sitting pretty at pick No. 9, the Saints could draft the second quarterback off the board, they could have no quarterback to draft at all, or they could opt to pass on the position entirely in favor of a more pressing defensive player like Mykel Williams or Shemar Stewart, both of whom could fill a role Day 1 and open things up for Kellen Moore and company to land a signal caller later in the draft.

Well, as it turns out, the Saints may not even end up using the ninth pick at all, as, according to Fox Sports Insider Jordan Schultz, the team is actively looking to trade back a few spots in order to add some more capital for a second bite at the first-round QB apple.

Related NewsArticle continues below
New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore during rookie minicamp at Ochsner Sports Performance Center.
Drew Brees’ Kellen Moore take will leave Saints fans excited for new chapter
Saints rumors: Derek Carr’s injury forcing retirement raises eyebrows in NOLA
Saints rumors: Derek Carr’s injury forcing retirement raises eyebrows in NOLA
New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) reacts to a play on the sidelines against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at Caesars Superdome.
Saints’ Derek Carr ghosting questions about surprise retirement

“The Saints have made calls about potentially sliding back slightly from No. 9 to acquire additional draft capital, with the leaguewide belief being they would then use those extra picks to trade back into the late first round to target a quarterback, sources tell NFL on FOX,” Schultz wrote. “New Orleans GM Mickey Loomis has historically avoided trading down — but this is a strategy teams around the league believe the Saints are considering entering the draft.”

So to be clear, Loomis and company want to move back a few spots in order to secure the assets needed to trade up again, likely from pick 40 to the late 20s or early 30s, in order to draft a quarterback? Could that be because they like the positional options at, say, 15 more than the options at 40, or because they value quarterbacks more in that 28-32 range, where Shedeur Sander will likely already be off the board?

Over the course of the pre-draft process, there have been rumors that the Saints aren't super sold on Shedeur Sanders, with the idea of him going at No. 9 being dashed by more than a few people in the know. This strategy, while potentially convoluted, does present some upside if it works, but could blow up in their faces if things end up flying in the opposite direction.