Saints Could Acquire Former 1st-Round QB In Trade With Browns, Per Insider

Are the New Orleans Saints satisfied with their post-Derek Carr quarterback room?

Carr surprised the NFL world on Saturday with the news of his sudden retirement, stemming from a degenerative shoulder injury. And while the Saints drafted Tyler Shough in the second round this year, they might not feel fully confident that they have a full depth chart at the position

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis was insisting that Carr would remain the starter after Shough was drafted. And even if Shough now has the edge on the starting quarterback job, it's not a cinch that Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener are capable backups.

One alternative could be on the table, according to one insider: a trade with the Cleveland Browns. The Browns now have an overcrowded QB room of their own after drafting Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.

On Sunday, CBS NFL insider Jonathan Jones named Browns signal-caller Kenny Pickett, a former first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers, as a name to watch for the Saints to add to the mix via trade this offseason.

“One name that I’ll just throw out there to pay attention to, potentially, Kenny Pickett. Joe Flacco or Kenny Pickett is going to get dealt at some point because they’re not going to carry four quarterbacks," Jones said.

"Someone is going to be expendable. Would it be the veteran Joe Flacco, or would it be Kenny Pickett who is already familiar with the head coach who is there in New Orleans?”

Pickett, 26, has gone 15-10 in his career as a starter, but his stats have always been fairly ugly. He's got a 62.4 percent career completion rate, but only 6.3 yards per pass attempt, while totaling 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

After spending the season as Jalen Hurts' backup on the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles, Pickett was traded to the Browns for Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-round pick. Perhaps another fifth-rounder would be enough to nab him from Cleveland.

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