TRADE TERMS AGREED: The Saints Look Set to Achieve More Than The Blockbuster Trade from Detroit lions For Top Cornerback

Death. Taxes. The New Orleans Saints are in salary cap difficulties. These are some of life’s plain realities, and this year is no exception, as the Saints remain more than $42 million in the red as of this writing.

The Saints adjusted cornerback Marshon Lattimore’s deal in January, knowing that cap issues were likely to arise again. That decreased his 2024 cap hit by $11 million to $14.6 million and made him more tradeable by lowering his basic salary to $1.2 million while converting $13.79 million of his base pay into an option bonus that cannot be exercised until one week before the regular season begins. The cap hit for the payment can also be amortized over several years, similar to a signing bonus.

The Saints will gain little from cutting Lattimore, even if they designate him as a post-June 1 cut. He has some natural trade worth, so that’s a means to at least acquire something for himself.

However, if the Saints exercised the aforementioned bonus and traded him before June 1, they might face up to $45 million in dead money. After June 1, the dead money can be spread out.

In his first five seasons with the Saints, Lattimore was named Defensive Rookie of the Year and appeared in four Pro Bowls. The last two seasons have not been as successful, with him missing a total of 17 games.

The trade idea for Lions to receive Marshon Lattimore is more than the Saints could expect in return.
As the Detroit Lions look at cornerback additions this offseason, Lattimore emerges as an intriguing prospect.

Dan Campbell, the Lions’ head coach, previously coached the Saints’ tight ends from 2016 to 2020. But, more directly related to Lattimore, defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn was the Saints’ defensive backs coach at the same period.

With a prorated signing bonus and a $2 million roster bonus, Lattimore faces significant salary cap hits in 2025 ($31.4 million) and 2026 ($28.55 million). That would be a major factor for any team looking to trade for him, but details may be worked out during trade negotiations to mitigate this.

In a new Saints’ mock draft, Drew Collings of Who Dat Dish offered the following trade suggestion that would send Lattimore to the Lions
In order to move Lattimore before June 1 and incur hefty dead money, the Saints may require substantial draft pick compensation. The Lions’ first-round pick plus an extra third-round pick acquired in the T.J. Hockenson trade could be sufficient.

The two sixth-round picks that the Saints would give to the Lions in this scenario are insignificant, aside from providing Brad Holmes with additional Day 3 draft money to potentially make deals with.

So, assuming a trade before the draft, the Lions would acquire Lattimore for picks 29 and 73 in the April draft. But are the Saints truly in a position to ask for the first-round pick? The Lions, or any other interested team, could simply wait until June 2 to make a transaction.

Pick number 73 and a subsequent pick? Pick No. 61 and No. 73 this year? We may now be discussing a trade in which the Saints would receive 2024 selection picks in exchange for Lattimore. This year’s first-round pick is a stretch and does not reflect what New Orleans should expect in any potential trade with the Lions.