The number-one storyline surrounding the New Orleans Saints entering 2025 is the quarterback position.
Rookie second-round pick Tyler Shough is in line to start, and in a power ranking of all 32 projected NFL starting QBs, he might be 32nd. He only had one year of full-time starting experience in college, and most evaluators considered him the fourth or fifth-best talent in a weak draft class at the position.
There might not be harm in seeing what Shough has in 2025 and pivoting to tanking for a quarterback if he flops. But what if the Saints went completely off-script and swung a blockbuster trade for a veteran quarterback?
That's precisely what Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski had in mind on Wednesday.
In an article pitching hypothetical three-team trades, Sobleski came up with an idea that would send Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins to New Orleans, Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu to the Buffalo Bills, and Buffalo tight end Dawson Knox to Atlanta.
"With Derek Carr's retirement, the new coaching staff is looking toward a quarterback competition between second-round rookie Tyler Shough, who turns 26 at the start of the season, and Spencer Rattler, who was a 2024 fifth-round pick and struggled during his first season as a professional," Sobleski wrote.
"At bare minimum, Cousins can provide New Orleans with some stability, either as a starter or a backup. The Saints still have a veteran-laden roster, though the chance to acquire the QB—after a little massaging of the salary cap that they are famous for—will cost the team one of those veterans."
Cousins is a four-time Pro Bowler, but lost the starting job in Atlanta to rookie Michael Penix Jr. last season. He's also on a brutal four-year, $180 million contract (through 2027) that contains a $45 million dead cap hit if he's cut after the 2025 season.
Meanwhile, Mathieu is a three-time Pro Bowler who grew up in New Orleans, and though he's undoubtedly beginning to age, he's still a very useful veteran on defense.
In practice, it's probably too complicated to happen, and it's highly unlikely the Saints would pull the trigger because of the money Cousins is owed. But it's fascinating as a thought exercise, because the best version of Cousins might be able to lead New Orleans to the playoffs if the NFC South was especially weak.
