Saints could land Kellen Moore's QB of future in potential trade with Eagles

The New Orleans Saints are pushing forward with Derek Carr as their starting quarterback for the 2025 season, but his future beyond that is questionable at best.

The Saints have a new head coach in former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. He was the final coach of the 2025 cycle to agree to terms, coming off Philly’s Super Bowl win, and there’s no doubt that the quarterback position was a major topic of discussion between Moore, GM Mickey Loomis and the Saints' brass.

New Orleans exercised a built-in contract restructure for Carr this offseason, opening up about $31 million in cap space to sign players like EDGE Chase Young, safety Justin Reid and WR Brandin Cooks. Also built into Carr’s current deal is a $69 million cap charge for 2026, a number the team will likely bite the bullet on by designating the 34-year-old a post-June 1 cut following the 2025 season. That move would save the team about $10 million in cash and spread the remaining cap charge over those next two years.

In other words, based on Carr’s age and contract situation, it’s more probable than not that New Orleans will need a new starting quarterback in 2026, and if they don’t come away with a top prospect in the upcoming NFL Draft, Moore’s former club could make for the perfect trade partner.

Moore coached an above-average quarterback room with Philly last season in starter Jalen Hurts, reserve Kenny Pickett and third-stringer Tanner McKee. The name who Saints fans should get to know is McKee, a rising talent who outplayed Pickett during the 2024 preseason and looked the part of a future NFL starter in his 89 total snaps during the regular season.

McKee, now Philadelphia’s clear backup to Hurts after the team traded Pickett to the Browns, finished the year with completions on 30 of his 45 pass attempts (66.7%), four touchdowns, zero interceptions and a QB rating of 117.2. The former sixth-round pick out of Stanford has ideal size for the position at 6-foot-6, 231 pounds, and he has the added benefit of being young (24) and cheap, now in Year 3 of a $4 million rookie contract.  

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If the Saints add a quarterback this offseason, they’re going to need the financials to make sense, as Carr’s likely not going anywhere thanks to the $150 million deal he signed with the team in 2023. Targeting a prospect like Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders or Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss in the draft would work, but acquiring McKee’s contract would be a home run, with an eye on him serving as Carr’s backup in 2025 before truly competing for the starting job in 2026.

The Eagles were reportedly in on former Patriots quarterback Joe Milton, who was traded to the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday. It’s possible GM Howie Roseman was simply doing due diligence on a young prospect with serious upside, but he could also be seeking out alternatives with offers for his own ascending backup quarterback on the table.

There’s no reports out there suggesting a Saints-Eagles trade for McKee is currently on the table or even being discussed, but this is definitely a name to watch for New Orleans as Moore searches for his QB of the future.

MORE: Eagles-Saints trade proposal sends franchise QB to New Orleans for Kellen Moore