Injuries ruined the New Orleans Saints season, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter recently reported the 2-6 team could trade Marshon Lattimore to the Kansas City Chiefs. After firing out of the gate with two dominant victories over the Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys, a seemingly endless stream of injuries led the Saints into a six-game losing streak. With Derek Carr, Rashid Shaheed, Taysom Hill, almost the entire offensive line, and countless others missing time, it’s probably too late for New Orleans to save their season and make the playoffs.
Head coach Dennis Allen insists the Saints won’t sell at the deadline, and general manager Mickey Loomis issued a similar statement. However, these quotes could be a way to try and drive up the price for their current veterans. New Orleans re-worked Lattimore’s contract in the offseason to easily facilitate a trade and now might be the time to move on from the oft-injured Pro Bowler. Assuming his hamstring injury isn’t a long-term concern, the Chiefs make perfect sense as a potential destination.
“The Saints have gotten calls about Marshon Lattimore, according to league sources. One of the potential holdups of a deal is Lattimore’s health, sources said. The four-time Pro Bowl cornerback is not playing Sunday against the Panthers, but it hasn’t stopped teams from calling about him, including the two-time defending champion Chiefs.”
Chiefs, Saints Ironing Out A Marshon Lattimore Trade
The Kansas City Chiefs are good, but they’re not quite as dominant as their undefeated record suggests. While the DeAndre Hopkins trade should help the relatively inconsistent offense, this team needs more help in the secondary. With L’Jarius Sneed now in Tennessee, Kansas City needed someone to step up opposite star cornerback Trent McDuffie. That somebody was former fourth-round pick Jaylen Watson, as the Washington State product played solid football while locking down his side of the field. Unfortunately, Watson suffered a season-ending injury, paving the way for a Marshon Lattimore trade.
As of this posting, the Chiefs do not have a good option for the CB2 position. Joshua Williams showed some signs of life in 2023, but the former fourth-round pick has not played well in 2024. Seeing as Kansas City’s path to a Super Bowl will likely go through at least one of Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson, the Chiefs must invest in the defensive side of the ball. Marshon Lattimore is probably the best option on the trade market, but will the two teams work out a deal before Tuesday’s deadline?
Possible Trade Details
At his best, Lattimore was a top-five cornerback in the game and could lock down an entire side of the field all by himself. Unfortunately, that player no longer exists, as age and injuries have limited the four-time Pro Bowler’s abilities. While he’s still a starting-caliber cornerback, Saints fans will probably be disappointed with what Marshon Lattimore can generate in a trade. It’s been a buyer’s market so far, as talented players like Diontae Johnson, Josh Uche, and DeAndre Hopkins have all resulted in minimal returns.
Seeing as Lattimore is no longer elite and has battled injuries for the better part of three seasons, the Saints probably won’t get more than a fourth-round pick for his services. This fits with the market value, as the Chiefs only got a third-round pick for L’Jarius Sneed a few months back. Lattimore won’t require a new contract like Sneed did, but he’s older and hasn’t played as well as Sneed did with the Chiefs. If New Orleans is intent on rebuilding, they’ll probably accept the relatively low return. However, if they believe they can compete next year with a similar core, then they might choose to hold on to their homegrown talent.
Main Photo: Stephen Lew – USA Today Sports
