Sep 8, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor (1) reacts to sacking Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Saints Almost Traded Alontae Taylor To NFC Foe

Originally posted on New Orleans Saints on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Nov 9, 2025 10:01 AM ET

With the final hours ticking ahead of the 2025 National Football League trade deadline, the New Orleans Saints were a team to watch, but they didn't end up shaking things up too much.

The rumors were loud. That's going to be the case any time you have the worst record in the NFC ahead of the trade deadline. There are talented players on the roster and contenders were looking around ahead of the deadline. New Orleans made two deals as it sent Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks and Trevor Penning to the Los Angeles Chargers.

For all of the rumors that were out there, you would've thought more trades would've happened, though. With Week 10 here, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport shed some light on the deadline and one nugget that he dropped was the fact that the Saints were working on other deals and even got close to a deal with the Chicago Bears involving Alontae Taylor.

"Before the (Indianapolis Colts) stuck their mega deal for (Sauce Gardner), they had discussions centered around Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor, who drew real interest on Monday and Tuesday," Rapoport wrote. "In fact, sources say the Bears were deep in talks for Taylor before a deal ended up falling through.

The Bears reportedly wanted Alontae Taylor

"Taylor, who is in a contract year and likely will get paid this offseason, spent time with Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen when he was head coach in New Orleans and the fit made sense. Alas, the Bears ended up dealing with the Browns for pass rusher Joe Tryon-Shoyinka."

Reports surfaced quickly about Taylor and the Colts after they swung a deal to acquire Sauce Gardner from the New York Jets. But, the idea of a trade with Chicago is new information.

There's nothing the Saints could've done about the Colts. They ended up getting done one of the most surprising trades you're going to see ahead of a trade deadline. That is what it is. The fact that there was almost a deal in place with Chicago makes the fact that the team didn't get any draft compensation for him arguably look bad.

New Orleans is 1-8 on the season and has significant long-term questions. Right now, the Sains are already projected to be $15 million over the 2026 salary cap and Taylor is going to be a free agent after the year. It wouldn't be the biggest shock to see him walk and it would be tough for New Orleans to get a deal done based on those salary cap numbers.

It's easier said than done to get a deal done. Behind the scenes, something probably popped up. But, the deadline was surprising for New Orleans in general, to say the least.

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This article first appeared on New Orleans Saints on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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