The Saints entered 2025 with little in the way of external expectations. The organization also sees the season as a rebuilding one, and as such no major changes are being considered.
By this time one year ago, head coach Dennis Allen had been fired. Longtime general manager Mickey Loomis preferred to avoid such a decision, but owner Gayle Benson acted alone in bringing about a change on the sidelines. In the wake of the Allen dismissal, it was reported Loomis was safe. That remains the case today.
“It may not be what the fans want to hear, but as far as firing Mickey Loomis, that’s ridiculous,” Benson said (via NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan). “When I am asked to hold Mickey Loomis accountable, I do. Not every decision works out, they never do… I hold him in high esteem, and I am very pleased with what he has accomplished, acquired and is building.”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Bengals owner Mike Brown have also held the general manager titles with their respective franchises since 1989 and 1991. In terms of pure GMs, Loomis is the league’s longest-tenured, having been in place since 2002. That period includes 12 winning seasons and nine playoff appearances. It was under Loomis in 2009 that the Saints won their lone Super Bowl title.
The post-Drew Brees era has been short on success, however, and Derek Carr‘s retirement helped begin a transition phase many had been calling for well before 2025. The quarterback situation is unclear with Spencer Rattlerhaving been benched after making eight starts this year (and 14 in total). Second-round rookie Tyler Shoughis auditioning for the starter’s role, a process which will last through the end of the season.
Regardless of how things play out on that front, a number of key financial decisions are pending. Keeping with tradition, the Saints are once again among the teams projected to be over the cap in 2026. Developing into a contending team will require not only the members of Loomis’ recent draft classes reaching their potential but also an improved situation in terms of veteran contracts and their impact on the organization’s flexibility.
New Orleans sits at 2-8 on the year and attention over the coming weeks will turn to the team’s draft position. As Loomis prepares for an important offseason, he will do so without the threat of being replaced.
The 2024 offseason brought a change in how teams could construct their 53-man rosters while retaining flexibility with injured players. Clubs were permitted to attach return designations to two players (in total) placed on IR or an NFI list before setting their initial rosters.
In prior years, anyone placed on IR before a team set its initial 53-man roster could not be activated in-season. All August 26 IR- or NFI-return designations, however, already count against teams’ regular-season limit of eight. Teams will be tasked with determining which players injured in-season will factor into activation puzzles as the year progresses.
All players designated for return on August 26 are eligible to be activated beginning in Week 5, though any player placed on IR after a team set its initial 53 has not been designated for return and therefore does not yet count toward a club’s eight-activation limit. Playoff teams will receive two additional injury activations at that point.
Here is how the 32 teams’ activation puzzles look for Week 12:
During his post-deadline media availability, general manager Ryan Poles spoke further about his actions on the trade front. He noted (via Adam Jahns of CHGO Sports) calls were made to a number of other teams regarding additions along the edge. Several high-profile options in that regard were mentioned as candidates to be dealt, and a trio of players (Keion White, Dre’Mont Jones and, most notably, Jaelan Phillips) wound up changing teams.
Poles said conversations took place with a wide array of potential sellers, adding some of the prices seen in the league’s blockbuster deals were “stunning” in his view. In the end, it comes as little surprise Chicago was not among the suitors which made a massive move. Poles, head coach Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen “kept the big picture in mind” when evaluating trades. The Bears are currently 5-3 on the year, but that assures them of little in terms of playoff positioning given the state of the NFC North.
As such, a more expensive acquisition like Phillips – who was dealt for a third-round pick – or Trey Hendrickson– who was available for a second-rounder – was not pursued at the deadline. Chicago will move forward with only Tryon-Shoyinka in place as a new depth option. The Bears did, on the other hand, work toward a notable move elsewhere on defense.
Chicago was “deep in talks” with the Saints about a trade for Alontae Taylor, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports. The fourth-year cornerback was also a target of the Colts prior to their Sauce Gardner blockbuster. The Bears would have represented a logical landing spot for Taylor. He and Allen worked together during the latter’s time as New Orleans’ head coach. Taylor, 26, would have provided the Bears with a welcomed starting option in the secondary during a year in which cornerback injuries have been an issue.
A trade on that front would have been a rental since Taylor’s rookie contract will expire at the end of the campaign. A lucrative new pact is likely in store in his case this spring, and the Saints’ decision to retain him means an extended stay in New Orleans could be worked out. Failing that, the Bears could be among the teams showing interest on the open market given their pursuit of a trade acquisition.
In the meantime, Chicago will look for other moves to provide depth in the secondary. The Bears are one of several teams scheduled to hostAsante Samuel Jr., who recently received full medical clearance. With roughly $6.64MM in cap space, a modest free agent pact would be feasible for Chicago if the team manages to work out a deal with Samuel or another corner currently available.
Week 10 will mark the debut for both players the Chargers gave the IR-designated for return label during roster cutdowns in August. Their activations had already been accounted for, but Hand’s had not. With those three now back in the fold, the Bolts have three IR activations remaining on the season.
The NFL’s latest trade deadline featured eight Tuesday trades, but a total of 22 in-season swaps occurred this year. Some teams made multiple trades; several others stood pat. Two of the biggest trades in deadline history went down this week.
As we detailed Wednesday in the latest Trade Rumors Front Office post, the Jets’ perspective brought strong value for young players toiling on a downtrodden team. The three first-rounders plus the 2026 second will give New York’s new decision-makers a chance to retool while having assets to either find a quarterback in the draft or trade for a veteran. While it will be difficult to replace Gardner and Williams, the Jets’ Darren Mougey-Aaron Glenn regime made the decision to cash in their top assets to launch a true rebuild — one that suddenly features plenty of QB ammo.
From the Colts’ perspective, Gardner brings an accomplished starter at a young age. Indianapolis received a player signed through 2030, though New York’s contract structure on the July extension limited the Gardner dead money to $19.75MM — far less than the Dolphins just took on for Ramsey or what the Saints absorbed upon trading Marshon Lattimore last year.
The Colts, after building from within for years, now have three high-cost DB contracts added this year in the Gardner accord and those given to Charvarius Ward and Camryn Bynum. Tied for the best record in the AFC (at 7-2), the Colts made a move and watched the Patriots, Broncos, Bills and Chiefs hold off on buyer’s trades.
Dallas’ stance is a bit more complicated. The Cowboys went from trading Micah Parsons for two first-rounders ahead of his age-26 season to acquiring Williams, who will turn 28 in December. The team still has three first-round picks between 2026 and ’27, but sending the higher-value ’27 first to the Jets strips away a prime asset for a player not on Parsons’ level.
Jerry Jones harped on the team’s run defense upon acquiring Kenny Clark in the Parsons trade, but that unit has faceplanted this season. Williams joins Clark and Osa Odighizuwa in a suddenly pricey Dallas D-tackle corps, and the longtime Jet had angled for a contract rework — something the Cowboys may now have to navigate.
The Cowboys also addedLogan Wilson, after trying to grabQuincy Williams from the Jets in a two-brother trade, but the younger Williams brother represents the obvious talking point here. Dallas’ interior D-line is well stocked. Will Quinnen Williams help transform a sub-.500 Cowboys team in the way Amari Cooper did after the team surrendered a first at the 2018 deadline?
Meyers will help the Jags replace Travis Hunter and provide some stability in a receiving corps also dealing with a Brian Thomas Jr. injury. Shaheed joins a surging Seattle squad, reuniting with 2024 New Orleans OC Klint Kubiak, and will be an interesting complementary piece for All-Pro candidate Jaxon Smith-Njigba. With Smith-Njigba, Shaheed, Cooper Kupp and rookie Tory Horton, the Seahawks look to have one of the NFL’s best receiving cadres.
Jacksonville also engaged in a cornerback swap, prying contract-year cover man Greg Newsomefrom the Browns in October. Newsome has started two games with the Jags and has incentive to perform well this season, as he is uncontracted for 2026. Tyson Campbell is signed through 2028, giving the Browns some cost certainty — albeit now carrying two upper-crust CB contracts, along with Denzel Ward‘s — at a premium position.
Cleveland did not aggressively sell, keeping its guards, David Njoku and other rumored trade assets, though they did do Joe Flacco a solid — to Mike Tomlin‘s chagrin — by trading the demoted QB within the division. Flacco immediately became the Bengals’ starter and has rejuvenated Cincy’s offense.
The Rams quietly bolstered their CB contingent by obtaining Titans contract-year slot playerRoger McCreary, while Tennessee also sent Dre’Mont Jones to Baltimore. The Ravens added Jones and Alohi Gilman, the latter becoming an immediate starter and helping maximize All-Pro Kyle Hamilton. Jones, who has 4.5 sacks this season, replaces Odafe Oweh — traded to the Chargers in the Gilman swap — in Baltimore’s OLB rotation. A former 3-4 defensive end, Jones gives Baltimore some pass rush options after Gilman supplied them with a deep safety. Gilman is also in a contract year.
While the Dolphins did not dive into full sales mode, retaining Jaylen Waddle and Bradley Chubb, after parting with longtime GM Chris Grier, they did obtain a third-round pick for Phillips — who is in his fifth-year option season. The Chargers also added two more trades before the 3pm buzzer Tuesday, most notably addingTrevor Penning — a three-position starter for the Saints — for a late 2027 draft choice. A contract-year blocker, Penning will be an option for a battered Bolts’ tackle corps.
The Steelers’ long-rumored wide receiver quest did not lead to a deal, but the team did add veteran safetyKyle Dugger, who had fallen out of favor with the Patriots despite signing an eight-figure-per-year extension as a transition-tagged player in 2024.
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The Colts entered Tuesday determined to address an injury-riddled cornerback group before the trade deadline, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. General manager Chris Ballard succeeded in pulling off a pre-deadline stunner, acquiring star corner Sauce Gardner from the Jets for two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell.
The Jets unexpectedly parted with Gardner just a handful of months after inking him to a four-year, $120.1MM extension in July. Had the Jets gone forward with Gardner as a member of their core, the Colts may have had a far less splashy contingency plan in Saints corner Alontae Taylor. The Colts had interest in Taylor, per Fowler, who’s of the belief the 26-year-old could have wound up in Indianapolis had it failed to reel in Gardner.
Taylor drew interest from multiple clubs leading up to the deadline, but New Orleans didn’t find an offer to its liking. One team in the market for help at corner told Fowler the Saints wanted an early Day 3 pick for Taylor, a pending free agent.
A report last week indicated the Saints were seeking a Day 2 pick for Taylor. They may have dropped their price in hopes of finding a taker. Regardless, no one bit, leaving Taylor to finish 2025 with the Saints before a potential trip to the open market.
With Gardner now in the fold, the plan is for him and Charvarius Ward to eventually comprise the Colts’ long-term one-two punch at corner. Ward has been on IR with a concussion since Oct. 18, though, and will miss this Sunday’s game in Berlin against the Falcons.
Gardner is also dealing with a concussion, which kept him out of the Jets’ win over the Bengals in Week 8, but he’ll practice on Wednesday (via Cameron Wolfe of NFL.com). Head coach Shane Steichen said “the plan” is for Gardner to make his Colts debut this week if he clears concussion protocol. With the Jets on a bye last week, Gardner hasn’t suited up since Oct. 19.
The Saints sent Rashid Shaheed to the Seahawks as part of Tuesday’s trade deadline frenzy, receiving fourth- and fifth-round picks for the veteran wide receiver.
New Orleans had previously set an asking price of a third-rounder, but they accepted less value for Shaheed knowing that he was hitting free agency in March. He was hesitant about the team’s quarterback situation, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, making him less likely to re-sign with the Saints.
Sure, the Saints may have been able to earn a compensatory draft pick if Shaheed left in free agency, but that would not come until 2027 and is no guarantee, either. It is also unlikely that Shaheed will receive a large enough contract to qualify for a third-rounder, and teams cannot receive multiple picks for one player through the compensatory system. As a result, the Seahawks’ offer was much better than what the Saints could hope to get by letting him walk in free agency.
Shaheed, meanwhile, lands in a better situation in Seattle. Sam Darnold is having another excellent season, and Shaheed seems positioned to slide into a deep-threat role in an offense that has only been able to rely on Jaxon Smith-Njigba downfield. That could help boost his stock before free agency, but the Seahawks also have their eye on quickly ascending the ranks of the NFC. You could argue they already have with a 6-2 start and top-10 units on both sides of the ball. That may inspire them to pursue an extension with Shaheed if he turns out to be a fit in Klint Kubiak‘s offense.
Not long after one receiver domino fell on the trade front, another swap has been worked out at the position. To little surprise, Rashid Shaheedis on the move.
The Saints are sending Shaheed to the Seahawks, Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network report. Seattle’s passing attack will receive a boost for at least the second half of the campaign with the pending free agent in the fold. This swap will allow for Shaheed to reunite with offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. New Orleans will receive fourth- and fifth-round picks in 2026, ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds. The trade is now official.
Earlier today, veteran insider Jordan Schultz identified the Seahawks as one of the candidates to make a notable addition. Jay Glazer of Fox Sports later confirmed Seattle could be among the teams to swing a move hours before this afternoon’s deadline. That has indeed taken place, and the 6-2 outfit will have a notable new element on offense for the stretch run.
The Seahawks entered Tuesday with nearly $21MM in cap space; they will take on the prorated remainder of Shaheed’s $4.2MM salary. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated notes no extension agreement has been worked out as part of this trade. As such, this is strictly a rental acquisition.
Seattle had emerged as one of the candidates for an offensive line addition on the trade front. One could still be coming, of course, but for the time being it appears this will be the team’s primary move ahead of the second half of the campaign. Jaxon Smith-Njigbahas been stellar in 2025, and he currently leads the NFL with 948 receiving yards. Free addition Cooper Kuppmissed Sunday’s night’s win while dealing with heel and hamstring injuries. This move may be a sign more missed time is forthcoming in his case.
Even if not, though, Shaheed will be in line to serve as a strong complementary option for his new team. The 27-year-old has flashed potential as a deep threat over the course of his Saints tenure, averaging 14.9 yards per catch across his career. Adding a vertical element to a WR room led by Smith-Njigba and Kupp could be key in allowing the Seahawks to remain in contention for the top spot in the highly-competitive NFC West.
The Saints have been linked to trades involving not only Shaheed but also fellow wideout Chris Olave. The latter would have been a more surprising trade target, and an extension could be in the team’s plans. That may be especially true without Shaheed in the fold any longer. New Orleans had set a high asking price leading up to the deadline, reportedly asking at least one suitor for a third-round selection. To no surprise, that did not prove attainable, especially with a pair of Day 3 picks being moved for Jakobi Meyers.
Shaheed always represented the Seahawks’ top target at the receiver spot based on Kubiak’s presence, Rapoport notes (video link). A lengthy acclimation period will not be required based on the familiarity between the two. Kubiak served as New Orleans’ OC in 2024, a year in which Shaheed was on track to deliver another strong campaign before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Now healthy, he will look to boost his market value with a new team as the Seahawks prepare for what could be a deep playoff run.
