New Orleans Saints should trade for Tua Tagovailoa if Dolphins lose faith

While the 2021 season is a little over a week away, it’s still important that the New Orleans Saints find a quarterback for the 2022 season and beyond. They have Jameis Winston as their starter for this year but he’s signed for this year only and who knows if it’ll even work out?

If Winston doesn’t play well or if he does but signs elsewhere next offseason, the Saints will be right back where they were earlier this year when Drew Brees made the decision to retire — Without a quarterback.

There could be an intriguing option out there for the Saints if they find themselves in this exact same scenario. Former first-round pick Tua Tagovailoa hasn’t had the NFL experience he was hoping for and it’s clear the Dolphins aren’t thrilled with him to this point.

Matt Lombardo of FanSided thinks that “Tua Tagovailoa should request a trade from the Miami Dolphins.” 

"Despite passing for 1,814 yards with 11 touchdowns to just five interceptions in 10 games as a rookie and putting forth a stellar preseason in which he 282 passing yards with one touchdown and one interception while completing 24-of-34 passing attempts, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier and head coach Brian Flores have aggressively pursued a trade for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson."

Tagovailoa went fifth overall in the 2020 NFL Draft despite suffering a hip injury during his final season at Alabama. The rookie found his way into 10 games last year but didn’t wow the Dolphins and that’s led to the Deshaun Watson rumors.

Would the New Orleans Saints consider trading for Tua Tagovailoa?

If the Dolphins are ready to cut their losses and move on from their former fifth overall pick, the Saints make sense as a landing spot for Tagovailoa. Maybe he hasn’t been the superstar that he was at Alabama but he’s played in just 10 games and has a defensive-minded head coach in Miami.

Just imagine the magic that Sean Payton could get out of Tagovailoa in this Saints offense. He has a knack for getting the best out of his quarterbacks and if this trade were to happen, New Orleans would have their franchise quarterback. Tua is only 23 years old (he doesn’t turn 24 until March), giving the Saints their guy for the next decade if all goes according to plan.

Maybe Miami doesn’t move on from Tagovailoa and decide to roll with him for the next few years but if they make him available in a trade, the New Orleans Saints would be foolish not to see what it’d take to land him.