Possible moves the Saints can make before the NFL trade deadline

Last year, when the trade deadline was creeping closer and closer, the feeling around the New Orleans Saints was that this team could be sellers at the trade deadline. If that was the case, which it was, CB Marshon Lattimore was the obvious choice to be traded. This turned out to be the one move the Saints made at the deadline, and looking back at the details of the trade, it was a great move by New Orleans.

Now, back to the present (or future…. get it?)

The NFL trade deadline is less than a month away, and the Saints are 1-5. This team could, probably not, but could turn this season around and win games. There has only been one game in which the Saints were absolutely dominated. Every other game was a few plays away from a result being changed, but looking at this in a realistic lens, the New Orleans must be sellers at the deadline. There are too many issues on the roster to trust what this team can currently do, and the Saints’ draft capital is not good due to moves made before the season. This is a rebuild, and if the Saints want to improve next season, they will make a move at the deadline.

But who could be traded away?

The WRs

Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images

If there is any comparable move to the Marshon Lattimore trade last season, this would be the one. The Saints have an interesting situation on their hands with the WRs. Former first-round pick Chris Olave’s fifth-year option was picked up in the offseason, so he is under contract until the end of the 2026/27 season, but a contract extension is already something to consider. The New York Jets gave WR Garrett Wilson, who was selected one pick before Chris Olave, a 4-year, $130,000,000 contract. Olave’s agent will use this as the basis that the Saints should give his client, but New Orleans will bring up the injury history in negotiations. Realistically, the contract should be a 4-years, $120,000,000, but still, that may be too much.

As I mentioned, Chris Olave has had an extensive injury history, and although he has stayed on the field this season, it’s a real worry for the future. It should also be considered that Olave has struggled with some drops, mental mistakes, and an inability to find a rhythm with QB Spencer Rattler. Olave is only 25 and has major potential, but betting on that is way too risky for the Saints, who are in the middle of a rebuild.

If New Orleans decides to keep Olave and extend his contract, the next option would have to be Rashid Shaheed. The former undrafted WR is out of contract after this season, so getting any draft capital back for a WR already going to leave is a great idea. Yes, the Saints could extend Shaheed, but keeping Olave would make it way too expensive to keep both WRs on this team. With some cap gymnastics, the team can get it done, but they need to compete for the playoffs to do so. Obviously, that’s not where the Saints are. A decision needs to be made between Olave and Shaheed.

Trying to figure out the Saints’ decision-making in this process is not easy, but just looking at this from an outside perspective could make it obvious. Rashid Shaheed is already 27 and has not been a WR1 yet. This makes the potential contract extension much cheaper than extending Chris Olave. Also, trading Olave would get the Saints much better draft capital from a contending team, and the concussion history is a worry. No matter what, this is going to be a risky move, but trading Olave when his value is still high should be the move.

What could the trades look like?

If Chris Olave is traded:

Saints send Chris Olave Giants send 2026 2nd-round pick & 2027 3rd-round pick

If Rashid Shaheed is traded:

Saints send Rashid Shaheed Steelers send a 2026 4th-round pick & 2027 5th-round pick

Pete Werner

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Another likely trade that makes sense is the Saints shipping out linebacker Pete Werner. The 26-year-old has had an up-and-down start to his NFL career. Some games look great, and Werner is flying around the field making plays. In other games, Werner struggles to tackle and gets exposed in pass coverage. This has been the issue with the Pete Werner experience. It is way too inconsistent to feel comfortable, and this is not the first time his name is brought up as a potential trade option. The issue in the past was that the Saints had to rely one Demario Davis and Pete Werner as the only two linebacker options because of depth issues, but that’s not the case anymore.

In the 2025 NFL Draft, the Saints selected linebacker Danny Stutsman in the 4th round. Throughout the offseason/preseason, Stutsman made plays and seemed to have developed a bit in pass coverage. These are all the signs a coaching staff wants to see from their young player, and Kellen Moore did something very interesting in the past game against the Patriots. For a bit, Pete Werner was subbed out of the game for Danny Stutsman/Isaiah Stalbird. Many, including myself, thought it was an injury, but Werner was not being checked out by doctors on the sideline, and later in the press conference, Kellen Moore confirmed that this was a move to get Stutsman more playing time. Doing this in a game with the score close is notable, and it can hint that the team could be moving on from Werner soon.

What could the trade look like?

Saints send Pete Werner 49ers send a 2026 5th-round pick

Carl Granderson

Here is the last, and least likely, potential trade the Saints could make: Moving on from Carl Granderson. The pass rush is a major issue for New Orleans, potentially the main reason they are losing these close games. So, why in the world would they trade away their most productive edge rusher? Before Chase Young came back from injury, and clearly looked like the best edge rusher the Saints have, New Orleans ranked last in pass rush pressure. Just looking at the games, Cam Jordan and Carl Granderson were getting stonewalled by opposing tackles. It allowed for QBs to have all the time in the world in the pocket, which then exposed the Saints’ cornerback issues. Granderson is great and getting cleanup sacks when the QB has to leave the pocket due to other pressure, but going one-on-one against tackles has been an issue and way less consistent.

I believe this move is less likely due to the Saints’ overall pass rush issues, which will only worsen with the trade of Granderson. It will also take a great offer from another team to get this deal done because Granderson is under contract until the end of the 2027/28 season. He can still be a good rotational piece while the Saints rebuild this edge rush group, but again, if a team makes a good offer, a deal can get done.

What could the trade look like?

Saints send Carl Granderson Eagles send a 2026 2nd-round pick

The New Orleans Saints are rebuilding their roster, and with the trade deadline approaching, acquiring more draft capital should be the team’s primary focus.

Chris Olave/Rashid Shaheed, Pete Werner, and Carl Granderson are some of the most likely trade options for the Saints, but I wanted to ask: What are your thoughts on some of these trades? Do you think the Saints could get more for some of these players? If you had to choose between Olave and Shaheed for who gets traded away, who would you choose? Are there any other players on the roster you think could be traded away? Let us know in the comments below!