As the New Orleans Saints dive deeper into their offseason program, the questions will only get louder for a key player who has been the subject of trade speculations for months.
That player is Marshon Lattimore, who hasn't spoken to the media publicly since the 2023 training camp. His status is one that has drawn attention as a potential trade option, noise that only grew louder with the team trading up to pick Kool-Aid McKinstry at No. 41 in the recent draft.
Throughout, though, Saints head coach Dennis Allen and Mickey Loomis have stayed firm that he is a part of the team and their future. Allen reiterated that on Monday ahead of the team's first batch of organized team activities, noting that the pair had spoken earlier in May. Loomis did hedge at the time, noting that any player is "tradable" under the proper circumstances.
"I thought it was a positive conversation," Allen said this week, "and so, yea, we’re moving forward.”
There were multiple reports of infighting throughout a 2023 campaign that saw its fair share of uneven moments. The most notable came in the form of Michael Thomas airing his grievances on social media after games, and even at one point while the Saints faced the Lions. He went even further at the end of the year as he directed his ire at the offense, QB Derek Carr and later coach Dennis Allen.
Related
Both Thomas and Lattimore saw their final action of the season in a Week 10 loss to the Vikings, with both star players exiting at different points with injuries. Neither player returned down the stretch as the team rallied to finish 9-8 but lost out on tiebreakers. Allen indicated in his end-of-year press conference that Lattimore could've potentially returned from his high ankle sprain had the team advanced to the postseason.
The Saints are expecting in the range of 90% attendance for this week's voluntary OTA session, but it's unclear whether Lattimore will be in that number. The Saints' cornerback room is a crowded one with Paulson Adebo, Alontae Taylor and McKinstry, though the rookie is not expected back on the field for workouts until June as he recovers from a foot injury first discovered at the NFL scouting combine.