The New Orleans Saints have made clear efforts to mend any damaged fences between them and star cornerback Marshon Lattimore ahead of the 2024 season, but count the Cajun Cannon among the unconvinced.
After the first day of Saints OTAs, Bobby Hebert had some strong takes on the situation surrounding Lattimore and his absence from the optional workouts.
"Marshon Lattimore is the No. 1 cornerback in Saints history, but is he that good to say we want to keep him around the other players, the young players he’s gonna influence," Hebert said. "I would say not. I would say not. You might have to cut your losses. I can tell you right now, Jim Mora or Sean Payton, Marshon Lattimore’s ass would be gone. You’ve got to go."
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The situation surrounding the Saints and Lattimore has been murky since he left the field with an ankle sprain late in a Week 10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. There were rumblings of infighting throughout the season, reports that also surrounded Michael Thomas, who was injured the same game. Neither player returned in the 2023 season. The team and Thomas parted in free agency while Lattimore has been embroiled in trade rumors for months, prompted to some extent by the Saints restructuring Lattimore's contract in a way that appeared like it could facilitate a trade.
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Saints GM Mickey Loomis made it clear prior to the draft that the team wasn't shopping Lattimore and was committed to going forward with him on the roster, but that any player could potentially be tradable for the right price. Saints head coach Dennis Allen took that a step further this week, telling reporters that he'd had positive conversations with the star cornerback.
“I just thought it was something that we needed to communicate," Allen said after the first OTA practice. "There’s been a lot of talk outside of our building about trades and things of that nature, and so I just felt like it was probably time that he and I had a conversation. Like I said, it was a positive conversation and, you know, we’re looking forward to getting him out here when he’s here and working with him.”
When asked to clarify on whether he anticipated Lattimore being on the roster going forward, DA answer with one word: "Yeah."
That information is certainly good news for anyone who's invested in a No. 23 Saints jersey, but as Hebert points out -- we heard similar things in 2022 regarding Thomas before that situation devolved. Allen even took a trip out to Malibu to visit with his star WR prior to the 2022 season.
Hebert says he sees the Lattimore situation approaching a similar impasse, and a lot dates back to the decision to pay each player big money on a second contract. Thomas was made the NFL's top-paid receiver after holding in 2019 and responded by catching the most passes in NFL history the following season, but injuries and disagreements derailed things for the past three seasons. Lattimore has been a star since the Saints picked him No. 11 overall in 2017 and was paid on a big-money deal ahead of the 2021 season, but he's missed 20 games with injuries over the past two years after starting 60 of 65 possible games over his first four NFL seasons.
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“Marshon Lattimore is Michael Thomas 2.0 on the defensive side," Hebert said. "I’m telling you ... you pay him and all that, and listen, Marshon Lattimore is the greatest Saints cornerback in the history of the franchise. OK, but where are you at right now? No, he’s — Marshon Lattimore, he is like, if you’ve got a barrel of apples, he’s the sour apple that’s gonna make the whole damn barrel spoiled.”
Lattimore was one of 10 players absent from the OTA session, but one of six who is not dealing with a notable injury keeping them off the field. Those others include RBs Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams, WR Stanley Morgan Jr., DE Tanoh Kpassagnon and DT Nathan Shepherd.
The Saints are back in action with OTAs each of the next two weeks, followed by a mandatory minicamp that the entirety of the 90-man roster is expected to attend.