Speculation about the New Orleans Saints trading away assets to stock up on draft picks isn’t going to go away. They’re one of the worst teams in the NFL right now — just check their record. But it’s one thing to say they should start selling. It’s something else to identify who could be traded, and where.
With that said, we’re going to look at some of the players who make the most sense as trade rumors ramp up ahead of the Nov. 4 NFL trade deadline. If the Saints do take this route and become sellers, not buyers, on the trade market? These are the players most likely to draw interest from other teams:
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Chris Olave
Sep 14, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (12) looks on against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
Olave has a year left on his contract after the Saints picked up his option for 2026, so any team trading for him would be on the hook for his $15.5 million salary cap hit next season. He’s going to be seeking a multiyear contract extension worth twice that. Trading him now would give his new team time to see how he performs in their offense and decide whether to extend him.
It’s been a tough four years for Olave in New Orleans. Between his time in high school and college, he lost just 17 games before he joined the Saints. He lost 18 games in his first two years as a pro, before going 5-12 in his third season. They haven’t been able to find a quarterback who can reliably get him the ball, either. Derek Carr was his best option and Olave still suffered a couple of concussions on passes Carr threw into harm’s way. His other quarterbacks have been Andy Dalton (51 catches), Spencer Rattler (27), Jameis Winston (26), Taysom Hill and Jake Haener (5 each).
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So what could the Saints get for him? Olave’s injury history is a major concern, but not enough to discourage a playoff team or an offense with an established quarterback. One comparison might be AJ Brown, a former first-round pick who the Tennessee Titans traded for a package of first- and third-round picks (Nos. 18 and 101). Through his first three seasons Brown appeared in 43 games, catching 185 passes for 2,995 yards with 139 first downs and 24 touchdowns. In his first three years Olave has appeared in 39 games with 191 receptions for 2,565 yards, 127 first downs, and 10 touchdowns. Between Olave’s injury history and Brown’s greater utility as a scoring threat, the Saints shouldn’t expect as strong a return. A late first-round pick or an early second rounder could get it done.
Here’s our proposal sending Olave to the Kansas City Chiefs, whose offense could use a shot in the arm after scoring just 60 points in the first three weeks (ranking 21st in the NFL):
New Orleans gets: 2026 first round pick (projected No. 25)
Kansas City gets: WR Chris Olave
Alternatively, look at the Houston Texans. They own two second rounders (one via the Washington Commanders) as well as two fourth-round picks (another one from Washington) and could put together a competitive package. Houston is several years away from extending star quarterback CJ Stroud, and reuniting the old Ohio State Buckeyes teammates has obvious appeal.
Rashid Shaheed
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – SEPTEMBER 14: Rashid Shaheed #22 of the New Orleans Saints celebrates a touchdown reception against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half in the game at Caesars Superdome on September 14, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Unlike Olave, Shaheed is in the final year of his contract, and he’s looking for a payday this March. He should get it. The market for him was just set this summer when the Detroit Lions extended wide receiver Jameson Williams, who was a first-round pick the year Shaheed signed with the Saints as a rookie free agent. And their stats line up surprisingly well:
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Rashid Shaheed: 36 games with 108 receptions and 1,683 receiving yards, 63 first down conversions and 11 touchdown catches. 17 rushing attempts for 123 rushing yards, 5 first down conversions and a touchdown
Jameson Williams: 36 games with 91 receptions and 1,570 receiving yards, 62 first down conversions and 11 touchdown catches. 16 rushing attempts for 133 rushing yards, 7 first down conversions and 2 touchdowns
What sets them apart is their age (Williams is three years younger) and Shaheed’s value on special teams. He’s won All-Pro and Pro Bowl recognition after picking up 756 punt return yards (with 2 touchdowns) and 875 kick return touchdowns. Williams hasn’t returned punts or kickoffs, and it would be up to Shaheed’s new team whether they should expose him in that phase of the game.
As for Williams’ contract? The Detroit Lions signed him to a three-year extension valued at $80 million, averaging out to $26.6 million per year. That’s money the Saints can’t afford to pay without a sure thing at quarterback. Finding a comparable trade is tricky. There’s been a ton of variance in wide receiver valuation lately, but the Saints should ask for more than they just traded to acquire Devaughn Vele (a fourth rounder in 2026 and a seventh-round pick in 2027). If Shaheed left in 2026’s free agency on the same deal Williams signed, they could expected a third-round compensatory draft pick in 2027.
That’s our starting price in trade talks with the Buffalo Bills, who haven’t gotten much out of their punt return squad. Shaheed could be a great weapon for Josh Allen for years to come.
New Orleans gets: 2026 third round pick (projected No. 91)
Buffalo gets: WR Rashid Shaheed
We’ll take the comp pick a year earlier and be happy to do so. Buffalo’s quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry has experience with Shaheed from their time together in New Orleans and would probably put in a good word to get this deal across the finish line.
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Alvin Kamara
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – SEPTEMBER 14: Alvin Kamara #41 of the New Orleans Saints looks on against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half in the game at Caesars Superdome on September 14, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Let’s start this by saying there’s no reason the Saints should trade Kamara. There is no realistic compensation another team could offer which would make a trade worthwhile. Running backs his age just don’t draw much interest in free agency or on the trade block. Combine that lukewarm market (given his positional value) with the value Kamara has to the Saints as an organization and there just isn’t anything here.
But let’s play devil’s advocate and say there is. Gayle Benson orders Mickey Loomis to sell off anything and everything that could help restock the Saints’ war chest. What could a team offer for Kamara? A team like the Los Angeles Chargers, who want to run the ball but haven’t been able to?
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New Orleans gets: 2026 sixth round pick (projected No. 214)
L.A. Chargers: RB Alvin Kamara
Kamara gets to join Justin Herbert, an exciting quarterback who can make the most of his skills as a receiver. The Saints get something, sure, but a sixth rounder isn’t much. It’s still more than the Cincinnati Bengals got for trading Joe Mixon to the Houston Texans a couple of years ago (a 2024 seventh rounder). Mixon has more career rushing yards than Kamara and one fewer touchdown run, but Kamara’s production as a receiver far outweighs the difference. That’s the difference in a sixth-round or seventh-round pick for a late-career running back. It still isn’t a trade we would make. Kamara being a Saints lifer is more important.
Spencer Rattler
Sep 21, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (2) looks at the scoreboard in between plays against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
Rattler could intrigue teams as a high-end backup with starting experience, much like Sam Howell. Both quarterbacks were fifth-round picks (Howell was taken at No. 144 in 2022, Rattler at No. 150 in 2024). And Howell has been dealt a few times already. After starting all 17 games for the Washington Commanders in 2023, he was traded in the offseason to the Seattle Seahawks as part of a deal that swapped multiple draft picks. Here’s what each team got:
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Seattle got: QB Sam Howell, 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 102)
Washington got: 2024 third-round pick (No. 78) and 2024 fifth-round pick (No. 152)
Howell backed up Geno Smith and only appeared in two games before he was traded again to the Minnesota Vikings this April. It was a simpler swap this time; Minnesota acquired Howell and a 2025 fifth-round pick (No. 172) while sending their own fifth rounder back to Seattle (No. 142). More recently, Howell was traded from Minnesota to the Philadelphia Eagles in August. The Vikings packaged a 2026 sixth-round pick with him in order to get back a 2026 fifth rounder and 2027 seventh-round pick.
So how do you judge the value in those picks? We’ll use the modern Rich Hill model, not the old Jimmy Johnson chart, which better reflects how teams hammer out deals today. This suggests that Howell was worth 37 points (equivalent to a late third rounder) when he was traded from Washington to Seattle, with his value dropping to that of a mid-sixth round pick in the Seattle-Minnesota trade. It’s trickier to evaluate future picks in the Vikings-Eagles deal, but of these three moves that one is easily the least expensive. Howell’s perceived value has degraded the more time has passed since he last started games.
With that in mind, here’s a trade proposal sending Rattler to the Los Angeles Rams, who have a surplus of picks and could use a young gun to develop behind Matthew Stafford:
New Orleans gets: Two 2026 fifth-round picks (projected No. 144, from L.A. via Tennessee Titans; and No. 157, from L.A.)
L.A. Rams gets: QB Spencer Rattler
This might be too optimistic. Rattler isn’t as successful a quarterback as Howell was during his stint with the Commanders, full-stop. Howell went 4-13 but that’s better than 0-9 (possibly 0-10 if the Saints lose this week). New Orleans’ lack of picks is a complicating factor. It’s tough to justify packaging their third rounder in a deal after they gave up next year’s fourth-round pick in the Devaughn Vele trade. They couldn’t get it back here, either. The Rams own multiple picks in Rounds 1, 5, and 6 with single selections in Rounds 2, 3, and 7 but they don’t have a fourth rounder. Getting the pick the Saints used on Rattler in the first place back, with an extra at-bat in the same round, is good business. If Tyler Shough can’t hold onto the starting job himself if (or when) Rattler is benched then he’s at least better suited as a backup for the offense Kellen Moore wants to run.
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This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: NFL trade rumors: 4 proposed deals for Saints ahead of trade deadline