This Chiefs-Saints trade would all but lock up Kansas City’s Super Bowl 3-peat

The Kansas City Chiefs are an imperfect team with a perfect record. Despite remaining undefeated through Week 8 of the 2024 season, Kansas City's roster is getting considerably depleted.

There are many reasons why no team in NFL history has ever won three consecutive Super Bowl championships. For those teams who have fallen short of achieving the three-peat, the main culprit has typically been attrition. Long postseason runs result in more games, a shorter offseason and more injuries.

Kansas City has played 16 additional games in the postseason over the past five years — essentially an entire season more than many of their opponents this season. While that has culminated in three Super Bowl championships, it has also taken a mental and physical toll on the roster.

With the trade deadline approaching, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach has attempted to inject fresh talent into their hobbled roster. Kansas City already added wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and pass rusher Josh Uche over the past two weeks, but they might not be done just yet.

Marshon Lattimore could be a dream trade candidate for Chiefs

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Kansas City "is at least monitoring" the cornerback market ahead of the deadline on November 5.

Kansas City has been named as a potential trade destination for New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore. The four-time Pro Bowl cornerback is yet to surrender a touchdown and has only allowed a 69.1 quarterback rating when targeted, the second-lowest rating of his career.

What would it take to get a deal done?

Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie remains the team's top perimeter defender, but the depth behind him is thinning out quickly. The Chiefs traded cornerback L'Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans during the offseason, and former fourth-round pick Jaylen Watson was placed on injured reserve after undergoing surgery for a broken tibia and fibula.

Although Lattimore is currently dealing with a hamstring injury, his talent is undeniable. He could stabilize Kansas City's secondary, which played a vital role in the team's Super Bowl championiship last season.

The Saints have fallen to a 2-6 record and face massive salary cap hurdles in their upcoming offseason. Trading Lattimore could help New Orleans acquire some valuable draft picks, but they may opt to hold onto the cornerback until after the 2024 season due to his contract.

Trading Lattimore right now would free up just $3.9 million in salary cap space but leave the Saints with $31.2 million in dead money for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, per Spotrac. If New Orleans waits until after the 2024 season to trade Lattimore with post-June 1 designation, they would save $20.7 million on their 2025 salary cap while taking a dead cap charge of $20.6 million over the 2025 and 2026 seasons.

If Kansas City wants to acquire Lattimore this season, they'll likely have to pay a steep price. Perhaps free agents cornerbacks Marcus Peters or Steven Nelson are more realistic options, particularly since both of them previously played for the Chiefs.