Saints Trade Idea Would Land $3 Million Chiefs Standout To Boost Secondary

Could the Saints grab a cheap, quality corner?

Nov 24, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Kansas City Chiefs helmet during pregame warmups against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

If there's one thing the New Orleans Saints could use ahead of the 2025 NFL season, it's young, cheap talent on defense.

It's been well-documented that the Saints have had the worst salary cap situation in the league for quite some time. They still went out and spent some money in free agency this spring, but they have lots of remaining holes to plug that the NFL Draft alone may not be able to fix.

The most obvious area of concern on defense is the cornerback position. The Saints lost starter Paulson Adebo and appear to be counting on free-agent acquisition Isaac Yiadom, a 29-year-old veteran journeyman, to pick up the slack.

If someone younger and cheaper than Yiadom became available in a trade, the Saints would certainly have to think about the possibility of an upgrade.

On Friday, Anthony Palacios of Last Word On Sports named one such trade candidate for the Saints: Jaylen Watson of the Kansas City Chiefs, a 26-year-old rising star making $3 million this season in the final year of his rookie contract.

"The Kansas City Chiefs would probably want to send one of their talent to the NFC rather than their own conference," Palacios wrote.

"Last offseason, the Saints (traded Marshon Lattimore) and after losing Paulson Adebo this offseason, the team needs a cornerback in the worst way. Kool-Aid McKinstry has a lot of upside in this secondary unit but he can’t do it alone and Jaylen Watson could easily start for the Saints."

Watson was on his way to a fantastic 2024 season before a broken tibula/fibula derailed it six games in. Fortunately, he recovered in time to participate in the Chiefs' playoff run, so the Saints could acquire him knowing he's had a normal offseason.

In his career, Watson has one interception (a 99-yard return for a touchdown), 18 passes defended, and a 59.7 percent completion rate allowed. He set a career-best 75.4 passer rating allowed in his small sample size in 2024.

There's no guarantee Watson becomes available, but the Chiefs added Kristian Fulton at the cornerback position, so it's a distinct possibility.

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