Mickey Loomis was unwilling to get into specifics when talking about Marshon Lattimore.
When asked if he felt certain that Lattimore will be on the roster in 2024, the general manager of the New Orleans Saints said with a single statement during his yearly pre-draft press conference: Indeed.
When a follow-up question was posed to Loomis to elucidate that point, he replied candidly, saying, “He was asking me a question, and I was trying to avoid it.”
One of the Saints’ more captivating offseason narratives has revolved on Lattimore and his uncertain future in New Orleans.
The Saints’ management restructured Lattimore’s contract in December, switching his base salary to an option bonus instead of the standard bonus—a move that Green Bay made prior to trading Aaron Rodgers last offseason. While they haven’t said anything about Lattimore that would be interpreted as a clear sign they’re ready to move on, they have effectively signaled to the rest of the NFL that they would be at least willing to consider the idea.
The team that acquired Lattimore would be liable for the option bonus in the event that the Saints sold him, which would relieve some of the player’s remaining significant salary cap obligations.
The Saints continue to talk about Lattimore as if he will join the team in 2024, and in all honesty, that is still the most likely scenario.
For example, the Saints would incur a $31 million salary charge for the 2024 campaign if they traded for Lattimore during the draft. This would need further cap wrangling. They may defer the salary cap hit until the next year if they traded him after June 1.
Yet, Loomis stated there’s a reason why player transactions are uncommon.
“You have the right to ask questions, and you ask them, but listen up: Everyone is tradeable; it just depends on the offer you receive,” Loomis remarked. However, that isn’t very typical. .. Trading players that have helped us out is something I dislike doing.
This has far too many “what if” scenarios. Even if anything serious was about to happen, I wouldn’t inform you.