METAIRIE, La. — New Orleans Saints coach Dennis Allen indicated the staff intends to maneuver ahead with cornerback Marshon Lattimore after nearly six months of commerce hypothesis.
When requested instantly by reporters Tuesday if Lattimore can be on the roster in 2024, Allen responded, “Yeah.”
Saints normal supervisor Mickey Loomis additionally answered the query the identical method in his pre-draft information convention in April, earlier than admitting he was making an attempt to keep away from answering the query.
“Everyone is tradable, it simply depends upon the supply that you just get,” Loomis mentioned then. ” And but, that is not quite common. … I do not like buying and selling gamers which have been contributors for us.”
Allen mentioned he and Lattimore had a dialog “two or three weeks in the past” to handle the commerce rumors.
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“I simply thought it was one thing we would have liked to speak,” Allen mentioned. “There’s been a number of speak exterior our constructing about trades and issues of that nature. And so I simply felt prefer it was in all probability time that he and I had a dialog. … It was a constructive dialog and we’re trying ahead to getting him out when he is right here and dealing with him.”
Allen mentioned in the course of the draft that he and Lattimore had not talked in “some time” and that Lattimore had not been within the constructing in the course of the offseason coaching program. Allen mentioned Lattimore had been in communication with Saints director of sports activities science Matt Rhea throughout that time-frame.
“Marshon’s one which we have not had a number of contact with anyway, so I would not say that that is something irregular,” Allen mentioned in the course of the draft.
Lattimore was not at OTAs final yr however participated in obligatory minicamp, and Allen mentioned that he’s not nervous about Lattimore being in form when he exhibits up.
“I would not say that is been unusual since in all probability about 2020,” Allen mentioned. “I do know he is working onerous. I do know he is getting himself in one of the best form he can get into.”
The Saints chosen Alabama cornerback Kool-Assist McKinstry with their second-round choose within the 2024 draft, including to hypothesis that the staff may very well be making ready for a future with out Lattimore sooner or later. When requested if the McKinstry choose was associated to Lattimore’s standing, Allen mentioned that he has at all times seen cornerback depth as essential.
“You’ll be able to by no means have too many good corners,” Allen mentioned in the course of the draft.
The Saints gave Lattimore, a 2017 first-round draft choose, a five-year extension price $68 million assured at first of the 2021 season. If the Saints have been to commerce Lattimore, the commerce would possible need to happen after June 1 for wage cap functions as a result of vital quantity of lifeless cash concerned.
He has performed solely 17 video games previously two seasons because of harm and missed the ultimate seven video games of final season.
Operating backs Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams, defensive ends Chase Younger and Tanoh Kpassagnon and proper deal with Ryan Ramczyk have been additionally amongst these not on the first OTA session open to the media. Ramczyk has been coping with a critical knee harm that might have an effect on his coaching camp standing, and 2022 first-round choose Trevor Penning performed proper deal with with the primary staff in his place. Younger was not anticipated to take part due to offseason neck surgical procedure.
“I might say Alvin is form of in that very same boat the place he is been in a position to prepare and get himself prepared on his personal and be ready and be able to go when it is time to go,” Allen mentioned. “I feel for me as a coach, I’ve acquired to belief that is what he is doing.
“Yearly gamers undergo totally different phases of their life after which they start to get different issues that pull at them from a technique or one other. Some could also be constructive, some will not be constructive. Clearly Alvin’s acquired a household now, in order that pulls at him by way of time commitments. … I feel now we have to be understanding of that, and but I do suppose it is essential to have our guys right here.”