A blockbuster trade proposal has the New Orleans Saints sending Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore to an NFC rival in a move that would shake up the postseason race for 2024.
There aren’t any indicators that the Saints want to trade Marshon Lattimore, but there’s a case to be made that both sides would benefit from a split. The Saints are in another difficult cap situation and would clear ample dollars by dealing the four-time Pro Bowler.
Most of New Orleans’ key players are also nearing the end of their prime years. With few young franchise building blocks in place, GM Mickey Loomis should consider dealing some veteran impact players for extra draft capital.
Bleacher Report’s Ryan Fowler proposed a blockbuster trade in which New Orleans would trade Marshon Lattimore to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick and 2026 third-round selection:
“Adding impact talent on defense has been a goal of Minnesota over the last few drafts. The team spent high capital to add corner Andrew Booth Jr (second round) and safety Lewis Cine (first round) in the 2022 draft, but neither player has remotely lived up to expectation in their first few campaigns.
While Lattimore has struggled with injuries in his last two seasons, he was a Pro Bowler in four of his first five years and, when healthy, has proven himself as one of the NFL’s elite…
Whether he starts opposite of Byron Murphy Jr or Shaq Griffin, slotting in Lattimore’s physical style of play within Brian Flores’ defense could be a match that jigsaws seamlessly.”
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Minnesota’s defense greatly improved under defensive coordinator Brian Flores last year. After allowing 25.1 points per game in 2022 (28th in the league), Flores reduced that number to 21.3 PPG, just outside the top 10.
But the Vikings’ pass defense was still a weakness, allowing 234.5 passing yards per game (24th in football). So adding a superstar cornerback like Lattimore would go a long way in bolstering Minnesota’s secondary.
Marshon Lattimore makes sense for the Vikings, but it’s unclear if New Orleans would be open to trading him, especially to a conference rival that also figures to challenge for a playoff berth in 2024.
Saints Will Likely Keep Marshon Lattimore For Now
At this point, there’s little reason to believe that the Saints will trade Lattimore before their Week 1 opener against the Carolina Panthers. A Lattimore trade, hypothetically speaking, is more likely to happen closer to the trade deadline. And that would only happen if New Orleans is out of the playoff race.
And judging by their decision to run it back with the same core as last year, the Saints obviously intend on being a playoff team this year.
