On Tuesday, ahead of the 2024 trade deadline, the New Orleans Saints sent Marshon Lattimore to the Washington Commanders for a nice return of picks. Lattimore is undoubtedly a franchise legend, and has been a key piece of the franchise since he was drafted in 2017. He had only ever played for the Saints, and regardless of what he does in Washington, or anywhere else for the rest of his career, his legacy will be in New Orleans.
Unfortunately, it was still time to say goodbye. New Orleans is 2-7, and the franchise will have a coaching search this offseason. The organization is very clearly heading towards a much-need rebuild, and firing Dennis Allen and trading away Marshon Lattimore were just the first two steps of that process.
While Tuesday was an emotional day for Saints fans, as they said goodbye to a franchise legend, it was likely a sneak peek of what the 2025 offseason will look like.
Saints will likely part ways with other franchise legends this offseason
New Orleans had several more veterans it could’ve moved at the deadline, but it’s fair to assume the team opted to take a loyal approach. There are multiple contending teams throughout the league that would’ve loved to add Tyrann Mathieu, Demario Davis, or Alvin Kamara.
Along with other long-tenured veterans like Cam Jordan and Taysom Hill, all of these guys’ careers are definitely coming to an end. They’ve all made it clear they’d like for their careers to end in New Orleans, and they have the contracts that allow for that.
However, with the Saints seemingly turning to a rebuild now, it’s unclear what will happen with the remaining years on these veteran contracts. Will the franchise talk these guys into retiring or will they just release them? The Saints could also allow each player to play their contracts out, considering there are only one to two years left on them.
Of course, there are cap space implications for each decision, and the team has to decide which decision is the best for the rebuild. Whatever the Saints ultimately decide, it’s clear fans need to get prepared to say goodbye to some more franchise legends soon.