The New Orleans Saints are going to look a lot different in 2022. Head coach Sean Payton stepped down and is going to take some time off from coaching. The roster could also look drastically different as they are projected to be more than $70 million over the salary cap.
The front office is going to have to get creative when finding ways to slash some salary. There will be a ton of player movement, as the Saints will have to move on from some veterans to become compliant with the salary cap.
What complicates things, even more, is that they need help at the quarterback position. It is hard enough to land a quarterback when you are flush with assets, but the Saints are going to have to figure it out with their salary restraints.
One possible option could be trading for a player on a rookie deal, such as Gardner Minshew of the Philadelphia Eagles. A hypothetical trade was put together over at Fan Nation that sent Minshew and a fourth-round pick to New Orleans in exchange for safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson.
It would be surprising to see the Saints part ways with Gardner-Johnson, but their cap situation could make them desperate. If the team prioritizes retaining fellow safety Marcus Williams, there might be something to work with here.
Minshew would provide this offense with a lot more hope than Taysom Hill or Ian Book, the only quarterbacks under contract currently for the Saints. They have not shown enough to be considered a franchise quarterback and the Saints would be doing themselves a disservice heading into the 2022 season with either of them as the starter.
Minshew, a sixth-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019, has shown some promise as a starter. He was 6-6 during his rookie season and has put up some pretty good statistics despite the Jaguars actively trying to lose games his first two seasons in the NFL.
The Washington State product lit up the New York Jets in relief of Jalen Hurts during the 2021 season and held his own with the backups during a Week 18 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.
For New Orleans, Minshew would be a perfect target. However, they would likely haggle over the package as parting ways with Gardner-Johnson in a deal for Minshew would be short-sighted. Maybe they could work out a deal involving Demario Davis, who was also mentioned as a potential trade target in the same article.