Trade talks are heating up across the NFL as Tuesday’s annual roster cut deadline nears and the start of the regular season is just around the corner. There’s a good bet that the New Orleans Saints could strike a deal with another team.
Whether it’s swapping a player for draft picks or swapping one player for another, the Saints are historically both sellers and buyers as of this date. You are always active. New Orleans has made at least one trade (sometimes two) close to the late summer deadline in six of the last seven years:
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Gardner-Johnson was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles on August 30 in exchange for a fifth-round pick (in 2023) and a sixth-round pick (in 2024) after contract negotiations collapsed and his relationship with the coaching staff was weakened.
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2021: Trades with Texans for Bradley Roby
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On September 9, the Saints sent a third-round pick (in 2022) and a sixth-round pick (in 2023) to Houston and acquired Roby just before their Week 1 kickoff game, setting him up as a veteran competitor for Paulson Adebo as a cornerback. Roby has played some valuable snaps over the past few years and is expected to start in this slot this season.
2020: No trades on roster cuts
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The Saints had no trades as of the 2020 roster cuts deadline — but they did acquire veteran linebacker Kwon Alexander from the San Francisco 49ers in November, just before the NFL trade deadline. They traded injured substitute Kiko Alonso and a fifth-round pick (in 2021) for Alexander, who started many games for them.
2019: Trade in dolphins for Kiko Alonso
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On September 2, the Saints and Dolphins agreed on a simple player swap: New Orleans traded backup linebacker Vince Biegel for Miami’s Kiko Alonso. Alonso played a few key snaps for the Saints until he was out through injury and was later sent to San Francisco to help them take on Kwon Alexander. Biegel developed into a good pass rusher with the Dolphins, defeating Tom Brady with his first sack in the NFL.
2018: Multiple trades
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The Saints struck a few deals around the 2018 roster cuts deadline:
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29th August: Trade with the New York Jets to acquire QB Teddy Bridgwater and a sixth-round pick (in 2019) in exchange for a third-round pick (in 2019).
September 1: Trade the Cleveland Browns and receive a seventh-round pick (2019) for DT Devaroe Lawrence
Bridgewater proved a timely promoter, helping the Saints win five straight games when Drew Brees was out with injury earlier in the season. He left free agency a few years later, bringing with him a nice draft pick to compensate. Lawrence was a solid rotation player in Cleveland.
The Saints later added New York Giants cornerback Eli Apple before the trade deadline (on Oct. 23), sending a fourth-round pick (in 2019) and a seventh-round pick (in 2020) for the starting corner. This fourth-rounder was eventually traded to the Seattle Seahawks, who fielded defensive end Ugo Amadi; He is currently vying for a roster spot in New Orleans.
2017: Traded with the Eagles for Jon Dorenbos
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ade (on August 29) was crushed when Dorenbos’ initial check-up revealed a life-threatening heart condition, sending him to emergency surgery and ending his career. The Eagles returned the pick in the seventh round (in 2019) that the Saints originally ceded for the veteran long snapper.
Later on Oct. 10, the Saints traded running back Adrian Peterson to the Arizona Cardinals for a sixth-round pick in 2018 after then-rookie backup Alvin Kamara emerged as a better option.
2016: Trade in dolphins for Chris McCain
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The Saints played McCain in a preseason game with the Dolphins on August 28; Needing more depth, they traded a seventh-round conditional pick (in 2017) to Miami for the veteran linebacker for him to try in their final friendly. However, he didn’t manage to survive squad cuts, so this choice was unconvincing.
The story originally appeared on Saints Wire
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