Mickey Loomis did not want to discuss Marshon Lattimore in specific terms.
Speaking at his annual pre-draft press conference, the New Orleans Saints general manager briefly got off the hook by giving a one-word answer to a question about whether he felt confident Lattimore was going to be on the roster in 2024: “Yeah.”
Then Loomis fielded a follow up seeking to clarify that point, and he began his answer honestly: “He was asking me a question, and I was trying to avoid it.”
Lattimore and his uncertain future in New Orleans has been one of the more interesting offseason storylines for the Saints.
While the Saints’ brass has not said anything about Lattimore that would be considered a clear sign they’re ready to move on, they’ve effectively signaled to the rest of the NFL they would be at least willing to consider the idea when they restructured Lattimore’s contract in December, converting his base salary to an option bonus rather than the standard bonus — the same tactic Green Bay used before trading Aaron Rodgers last offseason.
If the Saints were to then trade Lattimore, the team that traded for him would then be responsible for the option bonus, easing some of Lattimore’s still considerable salary cap charges.
The Saints still speak about Lattimore as though he will be a part of the 2024 team — and, the reality is that is still the most likely outcome.
If the Saints were to trade Lattimore during the draft, for example, they’d absorb a $31 million cap hit for the 2024 season, which would require some additional cap maneuvering. If they were to trade him after June 1, they could spread out the salary cap charge into next year.
Still, Loomis said player trades are rare for a reason.
“You ask questions, and you have the right to ask the question, but you know, listen: Everybody is tradable, it just depends on the offer that you get,” Loomis said. “And yet, that’s not very common. … I don’t like trading players that have been contributors for us.
“... There’s too many ‘what if’ things here. If there was something imminent, well, I still wouldn’t tell you.”