The New Orleans Saints are one of the more intriguing teams to follow at the trade deadline this season. They have some talent on the roster, but the team hasn’t put the pieces together yet and, as a result, they’re one of the worst teams in football.
Because of that, the Saints could be active at the deadline. They could look to trade away a handful of their valuable players in an attempt to net draft capital down the line. This would help them lean into their rebuild a bit better than they’re doing right now.
Chris Olave and Alvin Kamara are at the center of the trade rumors for the Saints. Kamara garnered a lot of value earlier in the season, but he seemingly insisted that he didn’t want to be traded. After the trade rumors continued, Kamara noted that he would retire before being traded from the Saints.
Olave has the most value on the team. A trade would almost certainly net the Saints a first round pick or a second-round pick and then some.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer recently reported that the Saints weren’t that eager to move on from Olave despite the rumors all season that they could trade him.
Saints showing more interest in extending Chris Olave than trading him
“The Saints’ receivers have been the subject of a lot of talk. New Orleans has received calls on Chris Olave, but the team has shown more interest in extending him than dealing him away,” Breer wrote on Friday.
Trading Olave would give the Saints a chance to land a star. But keeping Olave is the better decision because he already is a star.
The Saints have the opportunity to work on a contract with Olave during the rest of the season. The star wide receiver has already confirmed he’s been working on this extension with the Saints for a few weeks. It’s unclear how far into negotiations the two sides are, but it’s encouraging that they’re discussing it.
Worst case scenario for the Saints, they could trade Olave at the deadline next season if a new contract doesn’t come together. But holding onto him right now is the best option for the future of the team.
