The New Orleans Saints have been an active team this offseason after trading Jimmy Graham and Kenny Stills and more moves could be on the horizon, as the team may trade Cameron Jordan or Jahri Evans to help free up cap space and this comes as Sean Payton has shot down rumors of a Drew Brees trade to the NY Jets.
The Saints made some noise this offseason by trading Jimmy Graham to the Seahawks and that is why many speculated the team could shop Drew Brees. According to ESPN.com, head coach Sean Payton said that the team is not planning on trading Brees and that there was no truth to the rumors that he was being shopped. Those reports also speculated that the Saints could look at trading Brees in an effort to get Marcus Mariota in the draft, but Payton also shout down those rumors.
The Saints were in a tough cap situation and that is why they traded Graham and the team also traded Kenny Stills to the Dolphins. While Payton put water on the trade rumors, it wasn't so crazy to speculate due to the fact that Brees is getting older and has a massive contract that has a cap hit of over $25 million. While Brees has been great in his time with the Saints, the team appears to be in a bit of a rebuild and that helped push the rumors as well.
With Brees looking like he is the off the table, the team could remain active, as Pro Football Talk reports that other trades could be in the works. According to Peter King of Sports Illustrated, the Saints "could remain active" with trades into the draft, as names like Jahri Evans and Cameron Jordan could be potential targets for teams. The website also reports that the team has spoken with Jordan about a contract extension, but so far no deal has been made and that could lead to a trade down the line if they cannot agree.
The website reported that the team is looking to redo the contract of Evans and that could result in a pay cut. If the two sides can't agree on a deal for this season, there is a chance that he could be traded as well. Evans is set to make $7.5 million and has a cap hit of over $10 million and that could force the Saints to make a move if he won't restructure his deal.
According to Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the Saints and Jordan have spoken about a contract extension and this comes after the team picked up his fifth year option. Jordan has been very consistent for the Saints over the past few years, but he decreased to 7.5 sacks after setting a career high with 12.5 in 2013. Cameron made the Pro Bowl that season and in his four years in New Orleans he has yet to miss a game.
The Saints could look at moving up for Mariota even without trading Brees, as they now have some extra picks after making trades. The Graham deal gave the team a first round pick at number 31 and they also have their own selection at number 13. The team also has picks 44, 75 and 78 and that means they have five picks in the first 80 of the draft this year. Brees is the franchise QB, but the team could also look to the future.
