New York Jets fans around the country couldn’t help but be intrigued by the latest news coming out of New Orleans.
Ian Rapoport’s report on Derek Carr dealing with a shoulder injury had many analysts theorizing if the New Orleans Saints would look to draft a quarterback with the ninth overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft. Other quarterback-needy teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers have also met with some of the top signal-callers in the class.
But while some Jets fans may dream of a potential trade-down with the Saints or even Steelers, that doesn’t mean these teams in question will be incentivized to make any lucrative offer.
Simply put, don’t count on the idea of the New York Jets trading down in the draft.
Jets’ trade value debate
Multiple sources around the league have confirmed that teams this year are “reluctant” to trade up in the 2025 draft for various reasons.
The biggest is that the talent level of the incoming class is not as good as it has been in years past—particularly when compared to the 2024 draft class. Without many blue-chip talents, most teams prefer to let the board fall to them before cutting a deal to move up.
While an injury to a starting quarterback like Carr could alter the Saints’ plans, the top-eight overall picks don’t appear to be anywhere close to selecting Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders with their selection.
A team like the Steelers could try and jump the Saints for Sanders, but further analysis into any move would make that seem impossible.
Even for a team like the Jets, who could look to add draft capital this season.
According to Drafttek—a site that quantifies each selection using former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson’s famous draft value chart devised in the early 1990s—the Jets’ seventh overall pick is valued at 1,500 points, and the Saints’ ninth overall selection is valued at 1,350.
There aren’t any genuinely quarterback-needy teams after New Orleans until you get to the Steelers at 21st overall (850 points). If Pittsburgh wanted to jump New Orleans for Sanders to a team like the Jets, it would cost them at least a 2026 first-round draft selection on top of other picks.
As much as Jets fans want to see a deal done, it’s hard to envision any team giving up those assets for a quarterback like Sanders.
Anything can happen on draft night. A team may value Sanders more than scouts and analysts initially thought. Based on that notion, the Steelers could try and cut a deal to get into the top 10 to jump the Saints.
But Sanders isn’t the type of “can’t miss” quarterback prospect that teams usually go all-in for. He doesn’t have the arm talent of a Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes (two quarterbacks who saw their teams trade up significantly for), and most mocks have him falling to the Saints anyway.
Jets fans may be interested in a trade-down, but they shouldn’t expect it to happen on Day 1—at least with the way things are looking right now.
Besides, Aaron Glenn and company are seemingly all-in on Justin Fields’ abilities for at least one season.
