If the Saints have a fire sale, what New Orleans players could the Colts use?
The New Orleans Saints franchise is at a crossroads and that could benefit the Indianapolis Colts.
Recently, New Orleans Saints’ long-time head coach, Sean Payton, announced that he is stepping away from coaching. Payton had three years remaining on his contract, so the move seemed a bit random.
Some speculated that Payton has desires to coach elsewhere like the Dallas Cowboys. Others looked at the Saints roster and cap space situation and assumed Payton didn’t want to be a part of a rebuild.
In the last two offseasons, New Orleans has lost Drew Brees, now Sean Payton, and they are currently projected to be $74 million over the cap. This may be the groundwork for the Saints to enter a rebuilding era.
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If that is the case, there’s likely to be a mass exodus of the talented players on the Saints roster, and there are quite a few. The Indianapolis Colts could benefit from acquiring some of New Orleans’ players.
Colts should explore players that may want to leave Saints
The player Indianapolis needs most from New Orleans is also a player that this situation drastically affects, that’s Terron Armstead. Armstead, one of the league’s best left tackles, is set to enter free agency this offseason.
Armstead is only turning 31 in July and he’s playing at a quality level. He will command a worthy contract and it appears the Saints won’t be able to offer that. So if he is walking away from New Orleans, the Colts need to go all out on trying to sign him.
Left tackle is an issue Indy has been trying to fix and signing Armstead would fix all of those problems for the next few years.
Another position group Indianapolis has struggled to build is the wide receiver room, and the Saints have a receiver that is probably ready to leave.
Colts should explore Michael Thomas trade with Saints
Michael Thomas may have moved to the back of many NFL fans’ minds since he didn’t play at all this season, but he still is a talented receiver on the Saints roster.
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Last offseason it was reported that Thomas and New Orleans were having some communication issues stemming from how his injured ankle was managed. He ultimately got surgery last summer and experienced a setback that kept him out of the 2021 season.
Many teams and players can handle a lot of disagreements when things are going well for the franchise but when things are bad, splits are more likely to occur.
Thomas may look at the likely direction of the Saints and demand a trade. With three years remaining on his contract, he has an average base salary of $16.45 million.
This would certainly help New Orleans with its cap space issues and it would be a hefty investment for the team acquiring Thomas. The Colts should try to be that team.
The need for a receiver is obvious, the only hesitations Indy may have is committing to the contract or the possible package it would take to get him.
Considering the recent price of elite receivers traded it can’t be anything more than a second-round pick. Taking into account that Thomas is coming off an injury, hasn’t played in a year, and Indy will be taking his contract off New Orleans books, a lower draft pick may be able to be negotiated.
If these players become available, the Colts at least have to explore the possibilities in good faith. The Saints have players that could help Indianapolis get to a championship and that’s always been the goal.
Getting some big-name players out of a bad situation is taking steps toward that goal.
