Much to the surprise, relief and joy of New Orleans Saints fans everywhere, head coach Dennis Allen has officially been fired. The team is finally freed of Allen's incompetence and can start thinking about the future.
Speaking of the future, what exactly does that hold for this Saints team? Is Derek Carr the long-term solution, or will New Orleans choose to completely strip things down and look at a full-on rebuild?
That's probably a question for the offseason, but for now, we can assume the Saints are at least thinking "rebuild" more so than "retool," especially considering their never-ending financial stresses. New Orleans has made a habit of pushing money down the road year after year, but maybe after firing Allen, it's time to set a new precedent.
With the trade deadline set to pass Tuesday afternoon, the Saints have to look at becoming sellers where it counts. This team is too tight, financially, not to make some serious moves.
At 2-7, the Saints aren't going anywhere this year. That's their reality. With that said, they can set themselves up for a more feasible rebuild if they took advantage of the deadline.
The Saints can officially enter a rebuild before the 2024 NFL trade deadline
The Saints should trade Marshon Lattimore
We know Marshon Lattimore has been involved in many trade rumors for a while, and it's time for the Saints to part ways. The trouble is, getting his contract off the books. With a whopping $31 million cap hit in 2025, that could be difficult.
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Now, the Saints would save $11 million if they cut Lattimore next offseason. But, trading him for draft compensation, plus the added financial relief, would be a huge win.
Let's say a team like the Green Bay Packers or Tampa Bay Buccaneers called and offered a conditional fourth-round pick (could turn into a third). How do the Saints say "no" to draft capital and financial relief?
Trading Taysom Hill might be difficult, but it's worth a shot
Next year, Taysom Hill's cap number jumps to nearly $18 million and the team cannot get any relief by cutting him. This scenario screams for New Orleans to simply try and trade him for anything they could possibly get.
Hill has played well as of late and might offer a contender another unique offensive weapon, but with that type of contract, it's going to be difficult for New Orleans to get a deal done.
At this point, fans might be willing to live with a late Day 3 pick to get that contract off the books.
Dealing Tyrann Matheiu would complete the trifecta
The fan favorite is set to count over $11 million against the cap next year and could still offer a contending team that savvy, veteran presence in the secondary. Tyrann Matheiu has one year left on his deal and, while he is no longer in his prime, might be able to fetch a strong Day 3 pick if dealt.
There is no way the Saints figure out how to trade all three of these players, but to put things into perspective, doing so would clear roughly $60 million off the books for 2025, and that would be a huge relief.
If New Orleans can clear some of it, at the very least, that sets the team up for some added wiggle room this coming offseason.