New Orleans Saints should absolutely explore a trade for Andy Isabella
By Kristen Wong
The New Orleans Saints could get an incredible bargain in Cardinals wide receiver Andy Isabella this offseason.
Isabella has spent his Arizona career buried on depth charts behind DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk, A.J. Green, and others, and he’s reportedly looking for a new home in 2022.
The three-year wideout has played just 36 career games in the league, recording exactly one catch for 13 yards last season. Isabella has been the victim of falling down the chain year after year, serviceable to the Cardinals only as a fourth or fifth-string depth piece.
Could Isabella find more success on the New Orleans Saints?
I'm told that Arizona Cardinals WR Andy Isabella has been given permission to seek a trade. Patriots should take a look! #UMass
— Marc Bertrand (@Marc_Bertrand) March 2, 2022
For starters, Isabella would come ridiculously cheap. He’s in the last year of his rookie deal, and his 2022 salary amounts to just over $1 million.
New Orleans Saints should consider pursuing Andy Isabella this offseason
The Saints would hardly take a cap hit by bringing him on, and Isabella could potentially replace the likes of Lil’Jordan Humphrey or Kenny Stills, both of whom disappointed all throughout the 2021 season.
Isabella may not achieve production levels any higher than Humphrey or Stills, but he could also break out in a big way — that’s his biggest appeal for a receiver-needy team like the Saints. Arizona never gave him a chance, what with their crowded room of pass targets, but the Saints risk almost nothing by signing him and seeing how well he can gel with the team for a year or so.
Think of Isabella as a newly drafted rookie — he doesn’t have the on-field experience, but given enough time to develop in the offensive scheme he could serve as a starting-caliber wideout in 2022.
Michael Thomas is the de facto WR1, but Isabella would do well to learn by his side. At only 25 years old, Isabella still has his entire NFL career ahead of him.
Next. 3 tight ends that would be home-run additions for Saints offense. dark
A low risk, moderate reward signing like Isabella could benefit NOLA at least in the short-term, and besides, it’s not like they have a ton of other options at this point in the year.