Saints' Top Trade Targets Entering 2021 NFL Offseason

Until the New Orleans Saints make a move to land their quarterback of the future, the questions regarding the position will hang over the franchise. 

If Drew Brees officially announces his retirement, the Saints can move in one of three directions with their quarterback search. 

The first would be to attempt to re-sign Jameis Winston and have him compete with Taysom Hill. The second would be to let Winston walk in free agency, trust Hill with the starting gig and draft a young signal-caller. 

New Orleans' other potential avenue is a trade for a quarterback who may not be wanted by one of the handful of teams with new coaching staffs in place. 

If anything, the Saints should take a swing at the best available quarterbacks since they will have to compete with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for at least another year or two. 

Any potential trades will be tricky to pull off given the daunting salary-cap situation the Saints find themselves in. According to Spotrac, the team is $112 million above the projected cap for next season, so any moves for the following players will have to see plenty of cap space cleared to make them work.

Any team with a potential quarterback vacancy should internally discuss what it would take to land Deshaun Watson. 

Of course, the Saints would face the most competition for Watson since he could be the best available quarterback on the market, but he would be the face of the franchise for an extended period of time. 

New Orleans could be an intriguing landing spot from Watson's perspective since the franchise is already built to win and has two foundational pieces on offense in Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas.

The Saints would have to leverage a large amount of draft capital to land Watson from the Houston Texans, but it would also set them up for years of success and to go head-to-head with the Brady-led Buccaneers right away, instead of waiting for a few seasons for the six-time Super Bowl champion to depart the NFC South. 

Sean Payton's team has four selections in the first three rounds in 2021, and they would have future draft considerations to include if they want to make a push for Watson. 

According to Spotrac, any potential suitor would take on a five-year, $146 million deal that Watson is currently on in Houston. 

At the moment, the Saints are scheduled to pay Brees $25 million for the 2021 season, but the numbers may change depending on what they can work out with the quarterback, if he retires. 

If the Saints can rearrange some of the money attached to Brees' deal, they may feel comfortable enough to bring on Watson's massive contract, but to even get to that point, they have to make an offer that pleases Houston's front office. 

If the Saints believe the price set by the Texans is too large, there are cheaper alternatives that could be on the trade market. 

The franchise should still look for a veteran quarterback, and Sam Darnold, Drew Lock or others may not fit the standard the Saints have established. 

New Orleans could call the Las Vegas Raiders, who have Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota under contract. 

Carr would still be expensive at $22 million next season, but he only has two years left on his contract, which could be much more intriguing to the Saints. 

In this potential scenario, the Saints could trade for Carr, give up less than they would for Watson and draft a quarterback in the late rounds either in the 2021 or 2022 NFL draft to develop under the 29-year-old. 

When Carr becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2023, the Saints could either extend him, or hand over the reins to a polished young quarterback. 

Carr has put together three consecutive 4,000-yard seasons, threw for 48 touchdowns in the last two seasons and has not had double-digit interceptions in a campaign since 2018.

If the Raiders are willing to part ways with Carr's contract and go with Mariota, the Saints should inquire about adding the 29-year-old. 

Regardless of who plays quarterback in 2021, the Saints need to add more weapons at wide receiver behind Thomas. 

Emmanuel Sanders was the top pass-catcher among Saints wideouts in 2020 with 61 catches for 726 yards. He was the only wide receiver to eclipse 500 receiving yards. 

Tre'Quan Smith could develop into a solid option behind Thomas, but the Saints need to be more dynamic in the passing game. 

Dallas' Michael Gallup could be viewed as surplus on his own team since the Cowboys drafted CeeDee Lamb in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft to partner with Amari Cooper. 

Gallup is entering the final year of a contract that has not paid him over $1 million in base salary since 2018. 

Gallup's deal would be the perfect size for New Orleans to take on, especially if it has to pay a new quarterback. 

The 24-year-old had 843 receiving yards in 2020, but Dallas could look to get something in exchange for him on the trade market, since it is likely he will fetch a deal that the Cowboys can't afford next offseason. 

A mid-round pick or two should be enough to land Gallup in a trade because of his contract situation, and he could much cheaper than most of the wide receivers about to hit the free-agent market. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference. 

Contract information obtained from Spotrac.