Much was riding on what the New Orleans Saints would do on NFL trade deadline day, given the team’s current position. The Saints sold off two players for additional draft capital, but it still felt like more could have been done.
Here’s our evaluation of the Saints’ NFL trade deadline moves.
The Saints Committed to Selling, but Not Too Much
One of the main goals at the trade deadline was to gain more draft capital, and the Saints accomplished that. In their first trade of the day, New Orleans sent WR Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks for a fourth- and fifth-round pick in 2026. This deal was, at the very least, what the Saints needed to achieve by the deadline. Although they weren’t able to land their target third-round pick, acquiring a fourth and fifth is still a meaningful return.
Losing Shaheed, who has a 76.6 impact score and ranks 36th among receivers per PFSN’s WR Impact metric, will be a notable loss for the Saints. Still, Shaheed was projected to depart in free agency, so a deal needed to be made.
HC Kellen Moore spoke with WWL Radio on trading what the thought process was when trading away Shaheed, “For us, while this is a challenging time, we understand the business side of this, but for our younger guys there’s tremendous opportunity in this.”
The other transaction the Saints completed today came at the last possible moment. Starting LG Trevor Penning was traded to the Los Angeles Rams for a future 2027 sixth-round pick. The fact that the Saints got anything for Penning was surprising. Now, this move opens some playing time for younger/long-term options, and Moore also spoke on this: “I think this will be a great opportunity for him and for our team to continue to grow as well.”
Did New Orleans Do Enough?
It will be difficult to evaluate whether the Saints did enough until the picks they received are used, but for now, the answer leans toward no. Trading Shaheed was necessary, and the return was solid, but the Saints still hold only seven selections (potentially eight with compensatory picks) in the 2026 draft. For a team that could be picking No. 1 overall in the draft, having more top-100 selections is key to finding young, high-impact talent.
The good news is that there are still ways to acquire more picks — they just have to wait until the offseason. That can be done by moving additional players or trading down during the draft, particularly if the Saints retain the No. 1 pick. A potential trade partner that fits perfectly into that scenario is the New York Jets, who currently possess two first-round and two second-round selections in 2026.