The Saints have dropped six-straight games and sit towards the bottom of the NFC standings. The team would be a logical seller ahead of the deadline, and the front office is willing to consider trades…on their terms.
During an appearance on WWL Radio this week, GM Mickey Loomis acknowledged that the Saints have received calls from potential buyers. However, the executive cautioned that the Saints have generally received “undervalued offers.”
“When you’re in a losing streak, you’re calling those teams looking to see if they’re sellers, right, and so we’ll get a number of calls and we’ll respond accordingly,” Loomis said (h/t Jeff Nowak of the station’s website). “I’m not really one who thinks that trading away half your roster makes a lot of sense at this point for, generally, what I think are undervalued offers.”
This could be some natural gamesmanship from Loomis with the trade deadline less than a week away. The Saints have some obvious trade candidates, including Marshon Lattimore and his impending team option. The veteran cornerback has seemingly been on the block for the past year, and with his 2025 status in doubt, the team may finally decide to move on. The Saints also have impending free agent edge rusher Chase Young, who was involved in a trade during last year’s deadline.
On the flip side, the Saints could sincerely be hoping to build some momentum as they look towards the 2025 campaign. Derek Carr is set to return to the Saints for the first time since Week 5. The veteran QB guided the Saints to their Week 1 and Week 2 victories, but he was also under center for their three subsequent losses. Carr’s return should provide a small spark to the organization, but he shouldn’t be expected to single-handedly turn around the team’s fortunes.
The Saints probably need a tear down and rebuild as much as any team in the NFL. Lots of bad money and not enough talent to compensate. These days rebuilds don’t need to be 4-5 year projects. One bad year to get the money off the books, maybe one more to evaluate and develop. If everything else is done right, year three should be time to add and compete.
Right now they’re just delaying the inevitable and looking a little more feeble every year.