2 trades the Saints should make by NFL deadline, and 2 they shouldn't
Will the New Orleans Saints make a move at this year's NFL trade deadline? We're a week away from the close-of-business on Nov. 5, so here are two deals they should consider, and two that should get a "no thanks."
We've seen the Saints cut deadline deals before. They acquired linebacker Kwon Alexander and cornerback Eli Apple near the deadline when they were close to a Super Bowl with Drew Brees under center. That isn't the case now. There may be opportunities to get draft picks and future salary cap space by making trades, or shoring up major weaknesses. Either way, these decisions wouldn't be easy. Do you agree? Here are our four trade suggestions:
DO: Swap a 2025 fourth-round pick for WR Diontae Johnson
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports the Panthers are pursuing a "midround draft pick" for Johnson, who they acquired for a 2024 sixth rounder before this year's draft. Johnson is well-removed from his breakout 2021 season (107 receptions for 1,161 yards and 8 touchdowns) but the 28-year-old could be a big upgrade for a Saints team hurting for help at wide receiver. They've lost Rashid Shaheed and Bub Means to injuries and parted ways with A.T. Perry, and other wideouts like Cedrick Wilson Jr. are also on the mend. It would cost about $3.7 million to take on the rest of Johnson's salary, so between asking the Panthers to cover part of it and the the tax for cutting a deal inside the division, the Saints may have to pay more now than Carolina did back in March. He'll be a free agent after this year so this is his chance to rebuild his value and earn a new deal, maybe in New Orleans.
DO: Trade Cameron Jordan for a 2025 sixth-round pick
Jordan wouldn't replace Aidan Hutchinson -- since going down with a broken leg in his fifth game, Hutchinson's 45 pressures still outweigh Jordan's 11 through 8 games -- but he wouldn't have to. Instead, he'd bring a steadying presence to the back end of Detroit's rotation. Dan Campbell (who has had some fun with trade speculation lately), Aaron Glenn, and all the other former Saints with the Lions know Jordan well and they'd probably value his leadership skills, and this would give him the opportunity to finish his career with a contender. He's earned that much. The Saints need to get younger, too, and while they wouldn't save much salary cap space this year trading him does take $12.5 million off their books next season. The Saints also don't own a sixth rounder in the 2025 draft so they could get back on the board with this.
DON'T: Trade Marshon Lattimore for 2025 third- and seventh-round picks
Lattimore has had more trade buzz surrounding him than any other Saints player this year, and you could see a Super Bowl contender like the Baltimore Ravens make a run at him. He could reunite with his old teammate Marcus Williams in their secondary. But the Saints stood firm on their asking price, rebuking the market price of a third-round pick, so you have to think a suitor would have to beat that. Even so, Lattimore should be part of the solution for New Orleans. He's still 28 years old and is under contract through 2026. Paulson Adebo has likely played his last down with the Saints as a 2025 free agent coming off a season-ending injury, so retaining at least one starting cornerback is crucial. Unless a team offers a top-50 pick for him, Lattimore should stick around after settling differences with Dennis Allen this summer. He just might outlast Allen himself.
DON'T: Swap a fifth-round pick for Jaguars RG Brandon Scherff
Like the player he'd be replacing, Lucas Patrick, Scherff is on the wrong side of 30 at 33. He's also entering the last year of his contract. And he's a career right guard, so he'd be playing on the left side for the first time since his redshirt freshman year at Iowa (way back in 2011). He'd be easy to acquire in a trade after restructuring his contract, but this isn't the kind of move the Saints should be making. Adding another older veteran isn't fixing their problems especially at the cost of their future. If they could pull off a pick-swap and downgrade a fifth-round pick to a sixth rounder, maybe, but even then Scherff's presence would keep young, unproven players like Landon Young and Nick Saldiveri on the sideline. At some point those guys need to be evaluated so the team can decide whether they're part of the plan moving forward.
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This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 2 trades the Saints should make by NFL deadline, and 2 they shouldn't
