Analyst predicts Saints snagging difference-making talent, including a veteran receiver and a key defensive back, bolstering their 2026 contention hopes.
The New Orleans Saints are seeing plenty of free agent and trade predictions this offseason. One analyst gave the team some big time additions.
Greg Auman of Fox Sports sees the Saints adding a couple difference makers. He gave the following two predictions and his analysis on why they could fit with the Saints.
Alohi Gilman, Safety, Baltimore Ravens: "Gilman, 28, helped turn around the Ravens' season after he was acquired from the Chargers. He has a history with Jesse Minter from their Chargers days, so he could stay in Baltimore, or follow John Harbaugh to the Giants, or reunite with Brandon Staley and the Saints. He's active around the ball, with five career forced fumbles and six recoveries, not bad for a defensive back. He just finished a two-year, $10 million contract and should be in line for the same moving forward."
Keenan Allen, Wide Receiver, New Orleans Saints: "Allen, 33, returned to the Chargers in 2025 and still found a way to get 81 catches for 777 yards and four touchdowns. He's easing into WR3 mode, but has a résumé with 1,000-plus catches and 70 career touchdowns, so he's a good fit for a team looking for a veteran mentor to pair with a young receiver. That could mean staying with the Chargers, but he'd be a nice value match for the Saints, who could use another playmaker and have Kellen Moore, who had him in 2023."
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen (13) and teammates react in the last seconds of the game against the New England Patriots in an AFC Wild Card Round game at Gillette Stadium. David Butler II-Imagn ImagesNeither on their own move the needle really for making the Saints Super Bowl contenders, or even for winning the AFC South. That said, they do get the team closer to those goals.
Adding a wide receiver as productive as Allen in addition to what he brings in experience is huge. Certainly, Allen proved he can still play at a high level in the NFL with what he added to the Chargers offense. Pairing him with star receiver Chris Olave could help distribute the responsibility for production in the Saints offense.
Adding another capable starter at safety would bode well for the team as well. While Gilman might not be viewed as the best defensive back available, shoring up the secondary could help the team retain a defense that was strong toward the end of the season.
It's unclear where the Saints will go with all of their free agent moves, but the team looks primed to build toward contention in 2026.