Saints-AJ Brown Blockbuster Actually Makes Sense

There's a lot of exciting around the New Orleans Saints already this offseason.

The Saints finished the 2025 season winning five of their final nine games after installing Tyler Shough as the team's starting quarterback. The perception around the team quickly transformed from a team in the mix for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 National Football League Draft, to a team that has hopes to win the NFC South and beyond in 2026.

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New Orleans has a good mix of young guys and veterans on the roster — especially if Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis and Taysom Hill come back in 2026. The team needs to add a few pieces to really make some noise in 2026. Arguably, the team needs at least one more receiver, a guard, a long-term answer at running back and potentially a high-end pass rusher as an option just in case Jordan or Davis don't return.

The Saints could be good in 2026

Jan 11, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) looks on prior to an NFC Wild Card Round game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine shared a column highlighting the "top trade targets" for each team this offseason. For the Saints, Ballentine floated two intriguing ideas on top of draft picks: AJ Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles and Lukas Van Ness of the Green Bay Packers.

"Top Trade Targets," Ballentine wrote. "Draft Picks, WR A.J. Brown, Edge Lukas Van Ness. The Saints are in a better cap spot than they are in most seasons, but it still wouldn't hurt for them to essentially be sellers in the trade market. It feels much more likely that they would deal players like Alvin Kamara and Pete Werner to stockpile draft picks and clear more cap space than take on a big contract.

"A.J. Brown is the lone exception when it comes to big names. Tyler Shough delivered a promising rookie season and Chris Olave's availability is often in question. Brown and the Philadelphia Eagles have had a publicly tense relationship and the team that would receive him in a trade would be getting a very team-friendly deal. Brown has familiarity with Kellen Moore from his time as the Eagles offensive coordinator. A healthy Olave and Brown would immediately become a dangerous force multiplier for the Saints passing game. Other trade targets would need to be of the rookie contract variety. Lukas Van Ness comes to mind."

For Brown, it's easy to see why he would be a good fit. He's a top-five receiver in the game and has already played in Kellen Moore's system. With the Eagles at the center of endless trade rumors, it's at least worth seeing if Howie Roseman would be willing to let him go for a few draft picks. If the Saints were to add him, they would have one of the best duos in the game overall in Brown and Chris Olave.

This is the type of deal that sounds wild on paper, but would help. Brown is under contract for four more seasons. If the Saints could free up the cap space — which they likely could — landing a receiver of Brown's caliber would completely flip the narrative of the NFC South. An offense with Shough, Brown, Olave, Juwan Johnson, Devaughn Vele and Alvin Kamara would be the best in the division on paper. Plus, the defense was really good in the second half of the season. If he were to only cost draft picks and the team could swing something without including the No. 8 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, you go all-in.

Van Ness isn't a big-name player like Brown. He had four sacks as a rookie in 2023 and followed with three sacks in 2024 and 1 1/2 sacks in 2025 in just nine games. He was a first-round pick in 2023 and is under team control in 2026 with a 2027 club option. If the Saints want to add a young guy with upside, Van Ness fits that description.

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