If the New Orleans Saints decide to hit the reset button this offseason, they’ll have a plethora of marquee trade chips that will generate plenty of interest across the league.
The Saints went all-in once again this past offseason, hoping to reemerge as a title contender in the post-Drew Brees era. But $150 million man Derek Carr hasn’t come as advertised, nor has running back Jamaal Williams.
The offensive line is a mess, and the usually stingy defense has struggled against top-notch offenses this year. As such, it only makes sense for New Orleans to finally give in and accept that it’s time to rebuild.
Do-it-all running back Alvin Kamara would be New Orleans’ biggest trade chip. Even though he missed three games to suspension, Kamara is on pace to surpass 1,000 yards of offense for the seventh straight year to begin his career.
This season, Kamara has 457 rushing yards and two touchdowns to go along with 54 receptions for 355 yards and a touchdown. The 28-year-old is still in his prime and can be a giant difference-maker on a title contender with an elite quarterback.
Enter the Kansas City Chiefs, who haven’t yet had a 1,000-yard rusher since Patrick Mahomes took over as the starting QB in 2018.
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Isiah Pacheco was KC’s leading rusher last year with 830 yards and five touchdowns. He should easily surpass those numbers here in 2023, with 669 yards and five touchdowns through his first 11 contests.
But a healthy Kamara is a top-five running back in football, and Mahomes has not had a running back of his caliber. Given the lack of depth at the wide receiver position in KC, GM Brett Veach has extra incentive to trade for a premier pass-catching RB like Kamara.
The Chiefs can offer the Saints a 2024 second-round pick for Kamara. That’s a fair price for an explosive offensive playmaker who’s still in his prime and under contract through the 2025 campaign.
And for New Orleans, this move lands them a much-needed early-round pick while clearing valuable cap space to help move forward with the rebuild.
