The New Orleans Saints find themselves in an unenviable position as the NFL offseason gets underway.
New Orleans finds itself nearly $24 million over the salary cap still, despite restructuring multiple contracts already.
The pressing situation has led to speculation that trades will be coming soon for the Saints. One of the names floated has been cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who restructured his deal in January which can often be seen as a precursor to a trade.
Lattimore’s restructure significantly lowered both his cap hit and the dead money the Saints would be on the hook for should they move him to another team.
Speaking with NOFNetwork on Wednesday, Saints head coach Dennis Allen was understanding of the situation but also expressed his desire to retain the 27-year-old cornerback.
“Look. Lattimore’s on our football team. He’s a good football player, he’s been a good football player for us. Obviously, there’s a lot of things that happened throughout the offseason, but Lat’s a big part of our team right now,” the fourth-year head coach said.
Since being selected by the Saints in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Lattimore has been one of the league’s best cornerbacks. He won the 2017 Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, making him the first Saint to ever take home the hardware. He also has been to four Pro Bowls in his seven-season NFL career.