It would have seemed inconceivable after the first two games of the 2024 season that the New Orleans Saints would be on the precipice of a fire. However, the Saints have no choice but to trade the cavalry after Thursday night’s 33-10 humbling to the Denver Broncos.
At 2-5, the Saints have an extremely slim chance of catching the 4-2 Atlanta Falcons or 4-2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South. New Orleans is stuck with an aging roster and limited cap flexibility thanks to years of kicking contract dilemmas down down the road.
The Saints can’t trade key veterans like quarterback Derek Carr, running back Alvin Kamara, tight end Taysom Hill, or defensive end Carl Grandson due to their massive cap hits. So who does New Orleans have left to trade?
Here’s a mix of superstars and role players:
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Marcus Lattimore, CB
2017 Defensive Rookie of the Year cornerback Marshon Lattimore is still only 28 years old, but the Saints can’t pretend he’s still the player he was in the Sean Payton era — the four-time Pro Bowler hasn’t earned the honor since 2021.
He’s featured in six of the Saints’ first seven games this season but played in just 17 contests over the last two years. Lattimore is currently in the third year of a gigantic 5-year , $97,603,000 million contract with $58,103,000 guaranteed.
New Orleans has kicked some of the guarantees into the next two years and seems destined to be a cap-casualty (for $20 million this offseason). Maybe, just maybe, a corner-needy team will send the Saints a late conditional pick to take the veteran of their books.
Tyrann Mathieu, S
Yes, the Saints could trade another defensive back. Mathieu, 32, is under contract next season with a reasonable $11.3 million cap hit.
The Saints were well beaten by the Denver Broncos on ‘Thursday Night Football’ (
Getty Images)
The durable safety has missed just one game since 2015 and could immediately function as a league-average player for a variety of NFL defenses looking for help in the secondary.
How much could New Orleans expect for Mathieu? There’s unlikely to be a bidding war, but perhaps a surprise contender like Washington could fork over a mid-round pick for the Honey Badger.
Juwon Johnson, TE
28-year-old tight end Juwon Johnson seemed like a legitimate red-zone threat when he hauled in seven receiving touchdowns from quarterback Andy Dalton and company in 2022.
He’s been in and out of the lineup this season due to his inconsistent blocking, but a team looking for a more dynamic pass-catching tight end could inquire about his services.
Johnson is on an expiring contract and is owed less than $2 million the rest of the 2024 season. While New Orleans likely couldn’t get a day two pick for him, they perhaps could receive a conditional fourth-fifth round selection that could turn into something greater if certain incentives are met.
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