Derek Carr's trade value is great news for the Saints

The New Orleans Saints may have found their quarterback of the future with Tyler Shough.

Kellen Moore will continue to build his offense around the second-year quarterback, all while one Saints veteran draws league-wide attention.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that Derek Carr is "very serious" about unretiring. But given that he's still technically under contract, the Saints would have to get some compensation for his services.

But what would a Carr trade actually look like? Let's break it down.

The Saints could get a couple of picks for Derek Carr

Six quarterbacks have been traded since 2025. Geno Smith went for a third-round pick, Kenny Pickett went for Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-rounder, and Joe Milton III went for a seventh-round pick.

Then, midway through the season, the Eagles got Sam Howell and a sixth-rounder for a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick. Kenny Pickett made his way to Las Vegas for a 2026 fifth-rounder, the same one the Cincinnati Bengals gave up to get Joe Flacco.

Considering that Carr is 35 years old, hasn't played since 2024 and retired because of a shoulder injury, his value clearly won't be as high as it once was.

Then again, with a shortage of high-end options at quarterback this offseason, a team might be willing to go as high as a fourth-round and a seventh-round pick to get him.

Teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings would make perfect sense for the former Raiders star. 

The Saints will essentially get free compensation for moving on from a player that wasn't even in their plans anymore, using those picks to bolster the roster around their current franchise quarterback. They just can't lose.