Report: Kellen Moore’s visit with Jaxson Dart suggests real interest
04/02/2025
By Ross Jackson
The homework the New Orleans Saints have done on quarterbacks this offseason is far from going unnoticed. The Saints have not been lowkey surrounding their visits, dinners, and pro day attendance, so it’s unlikely they mind.
However, one visit in particular has the interest of an NFL Insider. Per SI’s Albert Breer, while the team may not be ready to move on from quarterback Derek Carr, a rookie quarterback could still be in the mix this season.
While the Saints’ restructure of Carr’s contract effectively eliminated any possibility of a trade this offseason, Breer writes that it doesn’t stop the Saints from investing in life after Carr.
“What (the restructure) didn’t dash, though, was the idea New Orleans could draft a quarterback,” he wrote. And along those lines, that Saints coach Kellen Moore was personally at Dart’s pro day isn’t insignificant.”
The connection between the Saints head coach and Dart stands out here.
Saints head coach Kellen Moore at Ole Miss pro day Friday in Oxford.
After the workout QB Jaxson Dart talked about the conversations he’s been having with the Black & Gold.While Derek Carr is the present in NOLA…could Dart be the future?
🎥 = @16WAPTNews pic.twitter.com/qEwsbUnUEK— Fletcher Mackel (@FletcherWDSU) March 28, 2025
New Orleans has been connected to several different passers this offseason and Dart may be one that has been most consistently named throughout the process.
Moore attending Dart’s pro day does signal interest, there’s no question. But acting on that interest is another story.
The Saints could shock everyone and take the young passer at No. 9 overall. But that could end up being a little rich for the third quarterback off the board this year. That is, of course, unless the Saints think a team like the Pittsburgh Steelers might look to scoop him up at No. 21. Sometimes in the draft, teams have to play a little defense.
Another option that would make sense is to select the best player available on their board at No. 9 and then, using their No. 40 overall pick in the second round, trading back into the late first to select Dart.
In 2018, the Baltimore Ravens did this to land quarterback Lamar Jackson.
After selecting tight end Hayden Hurst at No. 25 overall (following a pair of trade backs), the Ravens pulled off a trade to get back into the first round to take their future quarterback.
Baltimore sent: 2018 second-round pick (No. 52), 2018 fourth-round selection (No. 125), and a 2019 second to Philadelphia Eagles.
Philadelphia sent: No. 32 overall and a 2018 fourth-round pick.
New Orleans could do something similar, holding picks 40, 132, and a second-round selection in 2026.
This would give Moore a quarterback he covets while also giving the team one more year of cost-control via a fifth-year option. If Dart is a quarterback the team wants to invest in and believes could be their next starter, it’s a worthwhile strategy.