FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BREAKING: Saints Urged to Trade Former First-Round Draft Pick Before 2026 NFL Season
NEW ORLEANS, LA – With the 2026 NFL regular season still over 14 months away, a growing chorus of league analysts and front-office insiders is urging the New Orleans Saints to make a proactive and potentially painful roster move: trade one of their remaining former first-round draft picks before the start of the 2026 campaign.
While the Saints have spent the better part of two years digging out from historic salary cap debt, the spotlight has now turned to asset management. According to multiple sources familiar with internal discussions around the league—though not directly confirmed by the Saints’ front office—the player in question is a former top-32 selection who has failed to live up to his draft billing but still retains enough perceived upside to fetch mid-round capital.
The identity of the player remains a topic of intense speculation. However, league analysts point to a familiar pattern: a young veteran entering the final year or two of his rookie or extension deal, whose fifth-year option or 2027 base salary no longer aligns with the team’s rebuilding timeline.
“The Saints are no longer in ‘win-now-or-bust’ mode,” said former NFC scout and current NFL Network analyst Ryan L. Porter. “They’ve restructured their way to mediocrity. Now, they need draft picks to inject youth and cost-controlled talent. Holding onto a former first-rounder who is a solid starter but not a star—when his trade value is still decent—is a losing strategy. Trade him before 2026 training camp.”
The Salary Cap Hangover Forces a New Philosophy
For nearly a decade, the Saints under general manager Mickey Loomis and former head coach Sean Payton became famous for their “kick the can” approach to the salary cap. Year after year, they converted base salaries into signing bonuses, pushing debt into the future. But the bill came due following Drew Brees’ retirement and Payton’s departure.
The 2024 and 2025 seasons saw New Orleans gut its roster of high-priced veterans. Wide receiver Michael Thomas, running back Alvin Kamara (via trade), and several defensive stalwarts have all moved on. The 2026 Saints, as currently constructed, are a young, hungry team led by a head coach still seeking an identity.
According to Over the Cap’s 2026 projections, New Orleans still carries nearly $40 million in dead money from previous restructures. They enter the 2026 league year with only six draft picks—and none in the top 50 after trades made during the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
“That’s the killer,” said cap analyst Jenna Ruiz of Capology. “You can’t rebuild without picks. The Saints have one of the thinnest draft cabinets in the NFC. Trading a former first-round pick who is not part of your long-term core is the most direct way to restock.”
Who Is the Most Likely Trade Candidate?
While the Saints have several former first-round selections on the roster—including offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga (2024), defensive end Payton Turner (2021), and wide receiver Chris Olave (2022)—analysts have narrowed the speculation to a specific profile: a player selected between 2020 and 2022 who has underperformed relative to his draft slot but remains young enough to intrigue a contender.
The most frequently mentioned name among league insiders is defensive end Payton Turner. Selected 28th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Houston, Turner has appeared in just 36 of a possible 83 regular-season games over five seasons due to a cascade of injuries—including multiple knee and elbow issues. When healthy, he has flashed power and length, recording 6.5 sacks in limited action. But he has never started more than eight games in a season.
Turner is entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2026, with a base salary of $3.1 million—modest by NFL standards but expensive for a rotational player. A team desperate for defensive line depth, such as the Detroit Lions or Atlanta Falcons, could offer a Day 3 pick (fourth or fifth round) for a prove-it season.
“Turner is the textbook trade candidate,” said Porter. “He’s a former first-rounder, so the name still carries weight. But the Saints have moved on. They have younger, cheaper edges like Isaiah Foskey and 2025 UDFA standout Marcus Epps Jr. If New Orleans can get a fourth-rounder for Turner, they should jump.”
Another speculative candidate is running back Kendre Miller, a 2023 third-round pick (not first-round, but often grouped into the “high draft capital” discussion). However, Miller’s trade value is minimal after two injury-plagued seasons. Analysts agree the “former first-round” tag specifically applies to Turner or, less likely, cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry (2024 second-round) but no—McKinstry was a second-rounder, removing him from this exact headline.
A wildcard mention: offensive guard Cesar Ruiz. Selected 24th overall in 2020, Ruiz has developed into a solid but unspectacular starter. He is not a Pro Bowler but is reliable. Ruiz carries a $12 million cap hit in 2026 and 2027. Trading him would save $8 million but create a hole on the interior. Several win-now teams (Kansas City, Cincinnati) could view Ruiz as an upgrade. However, trading a serviceable starting guard during a rebuild is debated internally.
The Chris Olave Question
One name no analyst believes will be traded is wide receiver Chris Olave. Selected 11th overall in 2022, Olave has posted three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons despite inconsistent quarterback play. At 26 years old entering 2026, he is precisely the kind of building block the Saints should retain.
“Olave is untouchable,” said Ruiz. “Trading your best young receiver for picks sets your rebuild back two more years. That would be a fireable move.”
Why Now? The 2026 Draft Class Narrative
The urgency to trade a former first-round pick before the 2026 season is not arbitrary. The 2026 NFL Draft, to be held in Pittsburgh, is widely projected to be deep at edge rusher and offensive tackle—two positions where the Saints have need and where a veteran like Turner or Ruiz might block a younger, cheaper alternative.
Moreover, the trade market historically peaks in the weeks leading up to the NFL draft (late April 2026) and again just before training camp in late July. If the Saints wait until the 2026 in-season trade deadline (October 2026), they risk injury devaluing the asset or the player simply walking in free agency for a compensatory pick—which the Saints would not receive if they spend big in free agency, as they often do.
“Compensatory picks are for well-run organizations that let homegrown talent leave in free agency,” Porter said. “The Saints are not there yet. A bird in the hand—a 2026 or 2027 fourth-round pick—is worth two in the bush.”
Potential Trade Partners and Return Value
League sources have identified four teams as logical trade partners for a Saints former first-rounder:
1. Chicago Bears: Desperate for edge rush depth after a disappointing 2025 season. Bears GM Ryan Poles has shown willingness to trade late-round picks for veteran upside. Offer: 2026 fifth-round pick for Payton Turner.
2. Los Angeles Rams: Always aggressive. Could use a versatile interior lineman like Cesar Ruiz if a starter goes down in training camp. Offer: 2027 fourth-round pick and a conditional 2028 sixth.
3. Green Bay Packers: Young defense needing a veteran rotational piece. Packers have two fourth-round picks in 2026. Offer: One of those fourths for Turner.
4. Carolina Panthers: Intra-division trades are rare, but new Panthers head coach Ben Johnson might covet a familiar face from his time in the NFC South. Unlikely but not impossible.
The expected return: a 2026 fourth-round pick at best, more likely a fifth-rounder. That may sound underwhelming for a former first-round selection, but sunk-cost fallacy is real.
“Fans hate it,” Porter acknowledged. “They think, ‘We spent a first on him, we should get a first back.’ That’s not how the NFL works. The Saints would be lucky to get a fourth. But a fourth is infinitely better than nothing when he leaves next year.”
Saints Front Office Remains Mum
Reached for comment, a Saints team spokesperson declined to discuss specific player personnel matters, reiterating the organization’s standard line: “We are always looking to improve the roster through all available avenues—draft, free agency, and trade.”
Head coach Kellen Moore, entering his second season at the helm, was asked obliquely about potential trades during a charity event last week. “We love our guys,” Moore said. “But this is a business. Everything is on the table to make the 2026 Saints competitive.”
That non-denial has only fueled speculation.
Fan and Media Reaction
Reaction among Saints fans on social media and local radio has been mixed.
“Trade Payton Turner yesterday,” wrote @SaintsCapHell on X (formerly Twitter). “Dude is always in a hoodie on the sideline. Get a pick.”
Others urged caution. “You don’t trade first-round picks for pennies on the dollar,” argued longtime fan and podcaster Michael “Saint Mike” Derbigny. “Turner finally stayed healthy for 12 games last year. He had 4.5 sacks. Let him play out his contract and take the comp pick.”
But as Porter notes, the comp pick formula is unreliable. If the Saints sign a big-ticket free agent in 2027, any comp pick for Turner would be canceled out.
Conclusion: The Clock Is Ticking
The 2026 NFL season does not kick off for another 14 months. But front-office decisions are made in winter and spring, not autumn. The Saints face a clear choice: hold onto a former first-round pick who is unlikely to be re-signed, or proactively trade him for draft capital that can accelerate a rebuild.
If history is any guide, Mickey Loomis prefers to keep his own draft picks rather than trade them for low returns. But the cap situation and the barren draft cabinet may force his hand.
Expect trade discussions to intensify during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine (late February) and reach a crescendo just before the April draft. Whether the Saints ultimately pull the trigger—and on which former first-rounder—will be one of the defining storylines of the 2026 offseason.
For now, the advice from analysts is unanimous: Trade him before 2026 training camp. The Saints cannot afford sentimentality. They need picks. And they need them now.
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