The Tennessee Titans hold the first-overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but league reports indicate they could trade the pick. After quarterback Will Levis showed some promise under former head coach Mike Vrabel, the second-round pick crashed and burned under Brian Callahan. Plagued with some of the most head-scratching decisions you will ever see, the Kentucky product proved he is not the future of the organization while guiding the team to the first-overall pick in the draft.
Even though they need a quarterback, ESPN’s Turron Davenport noted that most league executives believe the Titans will trade back and avoid a heavy investment in a weak quarterback draft class. While the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants are the most common projected trade partners, the New Orleans Saints could get in on the action. New York and Cleveland have better picks, the Saints could earn the first-overall pick if they include Derek Carr in a trade package.
Saints Could Trade For Titans First-Overall Pick
The New Orleans Saints find themselves in a precarious situation heading into the 2025 season. Kellen Moore is officially in charge of rebuilding this organization, but it won’t be easy. The team carries an absurd amount of dead cap and most of the good players on their roster are closer to the end of their careers than the beginning. This includes quarterback Derek Carr, who is still a starting-caliber quarterback but isn’t a long-term option at this point in life.
Set to carry a $51 million cap hit, Carr said he won’t restructure his deal. While he is the best short-term option for this team, New Orleans is long overdue to bite the bullet and embrace a rebuild. Years of kicking the can down the road have led to an unsustainable situation, and if this team ever wants to seriously compete, they’ll need to rip off the band-aid and accept one or two rough years.
Any rebuild starts at the quarterback position, and if the Saints fall in love with someone like Miami’s Cam Ward, they could pull the trigger and get their guy. Carr alone isn’t worth the first-overall pick in the draft, but including him with the Saints first-round pick and another mid-round pick could be enough to entice the Titans into a trade. While first-year head coach Kellen Moore should survive one or two losing seasons, Brian Callahan enters the 2025 season fighting for his job.
Why the Titans Could Do This
The Tennessee Titans were not supposed to be bad last year. While nobody thought they’d win the Super Bowl, the team had postseason aspirations with an (at the time) promising young quarterback surrounded by expensive playmakers and highly-drafted offensive linemen. That never came to fruition, as just about every major offseason move backfired. If one or two players underperform, it’s probably on the players. However, if the entire team falls short of expectations, then something is wrong with the coaching staff.
Tennessee decided to give head coach Brian Callahan another year at the helm, but he probably can’t afford another disastrous season. With this in mind, the former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator probably won’t want to place his job security in the hands of an untested rookie. He’ll want a proven veteran, and Carr is probably the best one available. Signs point towards Sam Darnold staying in Minnesota, so trading the first-overall pick for Derek Carr and multiple picks could be the best way for Callahan to keep his job in 2026 and beyond.
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