3 trades that would make Saints a playoff team in 2024

2. Saints can trade for Chargers receiver Mike Williams

With Michael Thomas expected to leave in free agency, there’s no doubt that New Orleans needs to add a receiver this offseason. Yes, the Saints will still have Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and the promising A.T. Perry, but in today’s NFL, that won’t be enough.

Out in Los Angeles, the Chargers are welcoming Jim Harbaugh, but will likely be saying goodbye to some of their top players. L.A. went all in on acquiring high-paid veteran players while benefiting from Justin Herbert’s rookie contract, but now the team is facing a monstrous cap situation. Because of that, there are a ton of trade rumors surrounding guys like Keenan Allen, Khalil Mack, and Mike Williams.

Williams has been a terrific receiver for the Chargers during his seven years with the team. He has established a league-wide reputation as a big-play, contested-catch receiver. There’s certainly room for his skillset on the Saints’ offense.

There is one problem with a possible Mike Williams trade, though. He’s due $20 million next season, the final year of his contract. The Saints don’t have the best cap situation either, so they won’t be taking all of that on. However, that doesn’t mean a trade between the two teams is impossible. It’s fairly common for teams to pay out part of the remaining money in order to facilitate a trade. If the Chargers are willing to do that, New Orleans may be able to pull the trade off.