Saints could be forced to make a decision about their most-improved player
The New Orleans Saints have a busy summer ahead of them, and one of the team’s most improved players may need to make a huge choice shortly.
Paulson Adebo’s progress as a cornerback was one of the nicest things that happened to the New Orleans Saints in 2023. Fans
have witnessed Adebo develop into a reliable cornerback since he was selected by the team in the third round of the 2021 NFL
Draft and since he moved to New Orleans. Even though he has been starting since joining the league, his play from the previous season was clearly his greatest to date.
Paulson Adebo of the Saints was singled out as the team’s most improved player in a recent PFF article by Zoltán Buday.
Adebo’s PFF grade increased from 49.1 in 2022 to 78.7 in 2023, as Buday noted. Additionally, during Weeks 8–10, Adebo recorded three consecutive weeks with grades above 90.0.
Aside from his grades, Adebo received recognition for forcing 19 incompletions, which tied him for the highest among cornerbacks.
Playing in 15 games, Adebo also recorded 76 tackles, four interceptions, and two forced fumbles. He has now elevated his profile and will enter next season with higher expectations. However, there’s a question of if Adebo will still be with New Orleans next season.
Should Saints trade Paulson Adebo?
Adebo still has one year left on his rookie contract after this incredible season. Bleacher Report believes he might be traded this
offseason in part because of this. Bleacher Report noted recently in an article examining potential trades that might take place
this offseason that New Orleans usually loses talented players in free agency due of the team’s unfavorable salary constraint
situation.
BR believes it would be wiser for the Saints to move Adebo now and receive something in return rather than risk losing him for nothing in the offseason.
While that’s not a terrible concept, New Orleans shouldn’t act on it right away. Never should a team quit up and trade away a
promising player. The Saints would effectively be declaring they can’t re-sign Paulson Adebo if they choose to move him.
Trading him would make sense if that’s the real situation and the Saints don’t think they can contend next season.
But New Orleans has repeatedly demonstrated that it is capable of doing cap space magic.
The Saints ought to investigate any options for clearing space so they may re-sign Paulson Adebo rather than simply shipping him away.
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