3 Saints players who won't be back for 2024 season after missing playoffs

Marshon Lattimore on the way out of New Orleans?

It would be wild to imagine a couple of years ago that the New Orleans Saints would move on from cornerback Marshon Lattimore. But it appears that could be a possibility this upcoming offseason.

Lattimore was one of Mickey Loomis' best draft picks when they took him with the 11th overall pick out of Ohio State in the 2017 NFL Draft. The cornerback won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2017 and made it to the Pro Bowl four times during his tenure. But in recent years, Lattimore has dealt with a variety of injuries. In fact, in the past two years alone, Lattimore missed 17 games. But still, Lattimore is a star worth keeping

This season, Lattimore recorded 48 combined tackles (39 solo, nine assisted), eight passes defended, and one interception. In coverage, Lattimore allowed 27 receptions for 299 yards and one touchdown on 47 targets, per Pro Football Reference.

Recently, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football (subscription required) noted that the Saints recently restructured Lattimore's contract. Specifically, they turned Lattimore's signing bonus into an option bonus, which won't kick in until a week before the start of the 2024 season. If the option isn't exercised, it would lower the Saints' dead money hit to around $34 million from $45 million. Perhaps most importantly, the option bonus can be moved in a trade.

Again, it's unknown if the Saints are definitely going to move on from Lattimore. But, the door does appear to be open if that is the route they want to take, especially if they want to free up some cap space.