The New Orleans Saints finished 9-8 last season, just short of capturing the NFC South and securing a postseason berth. The Saints’ top brass made the choice to stick with coach Dennis Allen and general manager Mickey Loomis because they were so close to winning the division. Derek Carr, the quarterback, is also coming back for a sophomore campaign.
The Saints are hopeful that the addition of Chase Young in free agency and the selection of Taliese Fuaga and Kool-Aid McKinstry in the NFL Draft would increase their prospects of making the playoffs in 2024 after a season marked by ups and downs.
However, the Saints are still open to make additional major adjustments even once the majority of the roster movement is complete.
The addition of McKinstry hasn’t exactly silenced trade whispers around four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore, which is one of the Saints trade rumors that won’t go away.
Although Lattimore is undoubtedly a gifted athlete, he has only played in 17 games in the last two seasons and will have a $14.6 million salary hit in 2024. In 2025, his cap amount soars to $31.4 million.
Losing Lattimore might provide important draft capital or possibly another player who can help the team win now, while also relieving the team of a salary cap burden that seems to be a constant.
Although clubs that want to contend usually don’t move some of their finest players, general manager of the Saints Mickey Loomis said he would consider negotiating a deal for Lattimore if the appropriate offer came along.
“A truly good player for your team isn’t necessarily for sale, but occasionally you get a call and someone makes an offer that could work out for you. That applies to every member of your team. You should at least consider an offer you can’t turn down. That’s what I would suggest, then. I’m not attempting to exchange Marshon right now. Marshon is a superb player who excels as a cornerback. We need to move past the fact that he has missed a few seasons due to injuries, which he sustained. It’s not his fault; the situation is what it is. That is our current situation.
GM of the New Orleans Saints Mickey Loomis on trade rumors involving Marshon Lattimore
Although McKinstry’s signing “doesn’t mean anything,” Loomis also stated that the selection of the former Alabama standout might have been made with the intention of cutting ties with Lattimore soon. Naturally, this does not mean that it occurs before to the start of the season, but Loomis is indicating that he is amenable to a suitable offer.