Marshon Lattimore has been discussed repeatedly as a trade candidate since his deal was reworked late last season. Over that time, the New Orleans Saints did nothing to quell the speculation, with general manager Mickey Loomis even pulling back his earlier response when asked if he saw the cornerback on the team in 2024.
The gossip would not cease, so Dennis Allen decided he needed to speak with Lattimore.
Lattimore was not there for the start of the second part of OTAs on Tuesday, but Allen said the two spoke recently to clarify whether the four-time Pro Bowler will be traded before the season.
Allen hailed the conversation as “positive” and stated that he expects Lattimore to join the Saints next season.
“I just thought we needed to communicate,” Allen explained. “There’s been a lot of talk outside our building regarding trades and such topics. So I thought it was about time we have a chat. We’re looking forward to having him out here and working with him.”
Despite the discussion, Lattimore has trained separately from the Saints this offseason. That, however, has been the standard for the past many years. Allen says Lattimore hasn’t attended OTAs since 2020, which is understandable given that the sessions are voluntary. Lattimore will not be required to report until the team’s three-day obligatory minicamp, which begins June 11.
How did the Saints get here? Lattimore’s fate came into question after he and the Saints modified his contract in such a way that it made a trade much easier to execute. By changing his base salary into an option bonus, unlike the Saints’ typical restructure, New Orleans looked to imply that Lattimore was available for the appropriate price. Trading Lattimore, the Saints’ highest-paid defensive player, after June 1 would also save money against the salary cap.
Rumours of a Lattimore trade surfaced at the NFL combine, and then again when New Orleans traded up in the second round to select defensive back Kool-Aid McKinstry. Allen subsequently stated that McKinstry’s pick was unrelated to Lattimore’s circumstances, noting that a club can never have enough cornerbacks.
Before the draft, Loomis responded “yeah” when asked if Lattimore would be on the roster, then backtracked when asked a follow-up question.
“He was asking me a question, and I was trying to evade it,” Loomis explained, later adding, “You know, listen: Everyone is transferable; it just depends on the offer that you get. However, this is not extremely common. I dislike trading players who have made contributions for us.”
Lattimore’s contributions have declined over the last two seasons, and the 27-year-old has missed a total of 17 games during that time. In 2022, he was out for 10 games due to a lacerated kidney, and in 2023, he missed seven games due to a season-ending ankle injury. During his first five seasons, the 2017 first-round pick won four Pro Bowls and had 13 interceptions before signing a five-year, $97 million contract in 2021.
Lattimore remains the NFL’s sixth-highest paid cornerback based on annual average value. Complicating matters, even if the Saints intended to deal Lattimore, the return for top corners has been disappointing of late. When the Kansas City Chiefs traded L’Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans in March, they received only a 2025 third-round pick and a 2024 seventh-round pick in return. Jalen Ramsey’s 2023 trade to the Dolphins and Darius Slay’s 2020 transaction to the Eagles produced similar results.
“I know he’s working hard,” Allen said about Lattimore. “I know he’s getting himself in the best shape possible. And so, when he returns, we’ll welcome him with open arms and begin trying to improve him for next year.”
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