Saints Expected To Operate As Sellers At Trade Deadline

The Saints managed their first win of the season on Sunday. That milestone for the likes of quarterback Spencer Rattler (who was winless heading into today) and first-year head coach Kellen Moore should not be expected to alter New Orleans’ approach to the trade deadline.

Now sitting at 1-4 on the year, the team is not in a strong position to compete for the playoffs. As such, it would come as little surprise if the Saints adopted a sellers’ stance on the trade front over the coming weeks. Indeed, Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports reports New Orleans is among the teams expected to move on from one or more veterans before the deadline.

Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football confirms the Saints have players which have drawn interest around the league. He adds the team is expected to listen to offers once suitors make inquiries. Given the overhaul witnessed on the sidelines and at a number of positions this offseason, expectations were low entering the campaign in the Saints’ case. A slow start to the season will no doubt influence general manager Mickey Loomis’ willingness to swing one or more trades in the near future.

Running back Alvin Kamara is understandably considered a name to watch closely in that regard. The five-time Pro Bowler has spent his entire career – which is now in its ninth season – with the Saints, but he would provide an acquiring team with a notable addition in the backfield. Kamara, 30, is under contract through 2026. $3MM of his scheduled salary for next season ($11.5MM) is guaranteed, so he would likely not be considered a rental for the stretch run of the current campaign.

Kamara’s base pay for 2025 includes only $2.99MM in salary, a prorated portion of which would be paid out by any team which swung a deal for him. The Saints would take on dead money charges with a trade, though, and Underhill predicts Kamara will not be dealt. There is not a no-trade clause included in this case, which means the possibility of a swap could nevertheless remain a talking point until the deadline.

Wideout Chris Olave has been mentioned as a player the Saints could move on from due to his injury history, but it would still come as a surprise if the team contemplated such a trade after picking up his fifth-year option this spring. In any case, New Orleans will be a team to watch, especially if attention shifts toward next season by the time the deadline is reached.