Marshon Lattimore Will Remain on Saints Roster amid Trade Rumors, Dennis Allen Says

Marshon Lattimore has never played for an NFL team outside of the New Orleans Saints, and it doesn't sound like that will change in 2024.

"Yeah," Saints head coach Dennis Allen said Tuesday when asked if the cornerback would still be on the team during the upcoming campaign, per ESPN's Katherine Terrell.

"I just thought it was something we needed to communicate," Allen said when revealing he held a conversation with Lattimore this offseason regarding trade speculation. "There's been a lot of talk outside 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. ... It was a positive conversation and we're looking forward to getting him out when he's here and working with him."

Terrell noted Saints general manager Mickey Loomis was asked about trading Lattimore in April and suggested it would take a special offer to make that move.

"Everybody is tradable, it just depends on the offer that you get," Loomis said. "And yet, that's not very common. ... I don't like trading players that have been contributors for us."

Despite those assurances, there has been plenty of speculation this offseason.

ESPN's Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler reported in March that "several teams" believed Lattimore was available via trade.

In April, Luke Johnson of NOLA.com noted the Saints "effectively signaled to the rest of the NFL they would be at least willing to consider the idea when they restructured Lattimore's contract in December, converting his base salary to an option bonus rather than the standard bonus—the same tactic Green Bay used before trading Aaron Rodgers last offseason."

That meant any team trading for the cornerback would then have to pay the option bonus, which would be beneficial on the salary cap for the Saints.

New Orleans' decision to draft Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry in the second round also didn't quiet any of the speculation.

Still, Allen's comments suggested Lattimore will be lining up at cornerback for the Saints during the upcoming season as he attempts to add to a resume that includes a Defensive Rookie of the Year and four Pro Bowl appearances.

Injuries have been a concern the last two years, but he has still been a defensive staple and leader for the team since it drafted him in the first round in 2017, and it doesn't seem like that will change in 2024.