It is time to end the talks of a Marshon Lattimore-New Orleans Saints divorce. At the worst, table these trade talks until next year.
There was a point where Lattimore being traded felt like a foregone conclusion. While it’s not off the table due to his contract restructure, so never say never, we should remember the deadline for him to be traded this year is effectively Sept. 1. But the relationship between the two parties feels smoother than it was a few months ago.
Lattimore actually addressed the issue publicly. He didn’t deny a rift existed and expressed there’s been an improvement in his relationship with the team. The honesty is more encouraging than acting like nothing happened.
This hasn’t stopped the rumors. Trading Lattimore actually feels like the popular bold prediction late into the offseason. The guilty party this time was Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine. One of his seven bold training camp predictions was the Saints trade Lattimore. This comes off the heels of Bleacher Report laying out what a laying out what a trade could look like between the Saints and Vikings.
Drafting Kool-Aid McKinstry in the second round likely didn’t help matters. That added gasoline to the fire in April. What the second rounder does accomplish is providing a replacement for either Lattimore or Paulson Adebo in 2025. Keeping Lattimore and declining to pay Adebo after the season is also an option.
Ballentine stated McKinstry would make Lattimore expendable by showcasing what a tandem of McKinstry and Adebo would look like. If the rookie can show what that looks like in a month of putting on NFL pads for the first time, then maybe we can talk.
Right now, it doesn’t feel likely he will make an All-Pro caliber player expendable before even taking a regular season snap.
