NEWSLETTER
Jameis Winston was doing well as Drew Brees’ heir apparent in New Orleans, but an ACL injury suffered in Sunday’s win against Tampa Bay will keep the Saints quarterback out for the rest of the year. So what do the Saints do now?
Well, Trevor Semien went 16 of 19 for 159 yards, a touchdown, and respectable 82.4 passer rating in relief of Winston on Sunday. And, yeah, Taysom Hill could return from his concussion protocol in the near future. But the Saints are 5-2 and have eyes for yet another postseason run. So, I’m not sure if their current collection of quarterbacks can guide the ship into the postseason as comfortably as they’d prefer.
So, with that in mind, could there be an interest in Andy Dalton (Or even Nick Foles)?
Bears GM Ryan Pace’s professional relationship with the Saints is well-known. And so we couldn’t help but think about the potential fit. Say what you want about Dalton and/or Foles, but both have lengthy NFL résumés that make them interesting trade chips. Both have lent a helping hand in quarterbacking teams to postseason appearances. And in the case of Foles, he has a championship ring and Super Bowl MVP award in his trophy case.
If all things are equal here, the following can be true: (1) The Saints are a perfect landing spot for a quarterback such as Dalton or Foles because of the support system at the top in terms of coaching, as well as with the on-field talent and (2) the Bears are in a position to trade either quarterback because of Justin Fields’ presence, as well as the franchise’s need to recoup draft capital the could be used to build around the young QB. But with that being said, there are hurdles to clear. Primarily, financial ones.
New Orleans is one of the few teams up against the cap in a worse way than Chicago. But considering you’re already privy to Pace’s following of Mickey Loomis’ blueprints, this is unsurprising to you. The Saints have just $891,974 in available salary cap, per OverTheCap.com. Meaning that, if they were to trade for Dalton or Foles, they would have to do so while re-structuring the contracts to fit under the cap immediately upon arrival. And, I suppose in Foles’ case, make sure he is willing to be there in the first place. Not that Foles has no-trade protection, but his situation certainly makes it feel like he does.
After all, one reason the Bears have been unable to deal Foles is that the team is cognizant of the QB’s desires to play where he deems fit. Remember, it was The MMQB’s Albert Breer reporting in August that the Bears were willing to listen to offers for Foles, but that they wouldn’t ship him somewhere he wasn’t willing to go. In other words, Foles could further throw a wrench in the Bears’ plans if he so chooses.
In the end, Pace would be doing right by Foles and Dalton by reaching out to New Orleans. Nothing like dialing up some old chums to see if friends can help friends get through some trying times. And if the Bears could land some future late-round draft capital in the process, then that would be an additional bonus. The trade deadline is at 3 p.m. CT on Tuesday. Tick, tock.
