Grading a Vikings-Saints trade to give Marshon Lattimore a new home

The New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings are two NFC teams going in opposite directions ahead of this season. While the Vikings have officially hit the reset button by moving on from Kirk Cousins in favor of J.J. McCarthy at some point, the Saints are doing what they do best by kicking the can down the road. Unfortunately, this team is going nowhere and is running out of precious asphalt.

It is why when Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said everyone is on the table when it comes to a trade, we might actually have to believe him. Without question, the player that could net the Saints the most return is star cornerback Marshon Lattimore. The 28-year-old defensive back is in entering year three of a five-year deal with the Saints worth $97.603 million, averaging $19.5 million annually.

Here is a trade that Ryan Fowler of Bleacher Report proposed for the Vikings to acquire Lattimore.

There is no other way to say it other than the compensation coming the Saints' way is nowhere near enough to merit sending him to Minneapolis. A fifth-round pick in 2025 and a sixth-round pick in 2026 comes up nearly $12 million shy of being a fair deal. This is because the Vikings would be trading for three years' worth of service out of a premium player at a premium position in an NFL secondary.

I messed around with the trade machine a little bit, and here is the most fair deal I could come up with.

That may seem like a steep haul, but hear me out. The Vikings are acquiring a hall-of-fame level talent still in the midst of his prime at a premium position. You need to approach roughly $20 million in assets going the other way realistically land Lattimore. This is a hard salary cap, and every dollar is a precious commodity. In this scenario, the Vikings are only paying a $170K premium in APY to get him.

Where I will agree with Fowler in that Lattimore to the Vikings would definitely transform the league.

How Minnesota Vikings land New Orleans Saints CB Marshon Lattimore

While I do question the Saints' ability to get as much as I am potentially asking for with four future draft picks, you have to get more than a pair of day-three picks like the deal that Fowler proposed. In truth, the answer lies somewhere in the vague in between. If I were Loomis, I would try to get three picks from Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who I still do not think is a very competent general manager at all.

But back to the point about this being a transformational trade for the NFL like Fowler is suggesting that it is, oh no doubt, man! The Vikings would be getting a star cornerback to fly around in Brian Flores' defense. Lattimore's addition helps expedite the Vikings' rebuilding process and makes them a serious contender to push for the NFC playoffs right away, as opposed to settling for fourth place.

To me, this is more about what the Saints could get in return for their best player. Since I don't think the Vikings are a playoff team just yet even with the addition of Lattimore, that 2025 first-round pick could help them get their next face of the franchise at quarterback, and then some. This trade signifies the long-awaited rebuild is finally here. At that point, the Saints will finally have a direction.

In a macro sense, I love the trade, but in a micro sense, one that involves money, I can't get behind it.

Grade: Minnesota Vikings (A+), New Orleans Saints (F), Overall (D)