The 2025 NFL Draft is less than a month away, and the New Orleans Saints hold the ninth overall pick. This offseason, the Saints restructured Derek Carr’s contract, saving cap space and committing to the veteran quarterback for 2025.
The Saints could still be in play for a quarterback in the first round, and former NFL QB Chase Daniel considers New Orleans the best situation for one of the top signal-callers in this year’s class.
Chase Daniel: Saints ‘Best Situation’ for Shedeur Sanders
The Saints had a turbulent 2024. They came out of the gates scoring 91 points en route to a 2-0 start, but an injury to Carr and a seven-game losing streak led to Dennis Allen being fired. New Orleans quickly fell out of playoff contention and finished the season 5-12.
Carr’s restructure saved the team $30 million against the cap and signaled the team’s commitment to the 11-year veteran. The ninth pick is not an ideal spot to select one of the top quarterback prospects, but Daniel believes Carr and New Orleans offer the best situation for Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders. He discussed this on a recent episode of FS1’s “The Facility”.
Daniel said, “These are the top 10 picks, but who needs a quarterback; Titans, Browns, Giants, Raiders, Jets, Saints. If you really look at all those franchises, all of them are not great right now…I do agree, if you go to the Saints, and you sit behind [Derek] Carr for a year…I think that’s the best situation for Shedeur.
“Not saying that he can’t have success, but I don’t know if any of those top six, seven picks are great situations for Shedeur. All it takes is one GM to like you, and one team to fall in love with you. All 31 others could hate you in the first round, but if they really feel a certain way about you, they will draft you regardless of what Deion says.
“They’ll probably work with Deion because Deion’s earned that right, but if ou look at the top 10 picks, the Saints to me make a ton of sense.”
This is seeming more & more like a real possibility… https://t.co/T3mJDBggPC
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) March 29, 2025
Sanders is one of the most polarizing prospects in recent memory. His on-field ability has been heavily debated, and his Hall-of-Fame father has added fuel to the fire during the pre-draft process.
He began his college career at Jackson State before following his father to Colorado in 2023. After a rocky first year, Sanders led the Buffaloes’ 2024 resurgence. In an impressive final college season, he threw for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns while completing 74% of his passes. Sanders finished his college career with 151 total touchdowns (134 passing, 17 rushing).
Many mock drafts, including PFSN’s latest, have Sanders selected in the top three, with the New York Giants as a popular landing spot. The Saints would likely have to trade away a lot of draft capital to move up high enough for Sanders, but Daniel makes a solid point.
Letting Sanders sit behind an established veteran would allow the rookie time to adjust to the NFL game. The Colorado product will likely want to get on the field as soon as possible, but if the Saints can make it happen, New Orleans would be an ideal spot for the young quarterback.