The New Orleans Saints have added another former Raider, claiming cornerback Decamerion Richardson off waivers a day after the Las Vegas Raiders cut him loose.
Richardson’s stay in Las Vegas ended quickly. After the Raiders claimed former San Francisco 49ers cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. on Monday following roster cutdowns, Richardson was waived later that same afternoon. By the next day, the Saints had put in a claim, and the Louisiana native is now on New Orleans’ 53-man roster until further notice.
For Richardson, it’s a clean landing spot and a homecoming of sorts. For everyone trying to keep track of New Orleans’ offseason shopping list, it’s another head-scratcher. This is now the fourth former Raider the Saints have added in one offseason, and the pattern has become strange enough to notice.
It started in the 2026 NFL Draft, when John Spytek convinced the Saints to trade for defensive end Tyree Wilson, a player who was considered a bust in Las Vegas. The No. 7 overall pick in 2023 still has upside, and the deal came with little risk, but it was still an odd place for New Orleans to go shopping.
Then came the preseason move that stood out even more. The Saints sent a veteran defensive end to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for running back Zamir White, who had only recently signed there. New Orleans had running back injuries, sure, but the move still raised eyebrows.
The Saints weren’t done. They followed that up by signing longtime Oakland and Las Vegas kicker Daniel Carlson the morning after the White trade. Now Richardson has joined the mix, bringing the total to four former Raiders added by New Orleans this offseason.
To be fair, this kind of thing happens around the league. New front-office and coaching groups often bring familiar faces with them, because trust matters in the NFL.
Raider Nation saw that when Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler brought The Patriot Way to Las Vegas. Jeff Hafley and Jon-Eric Sullivan are doing a Green Bay Packers reunion in South Beach with the Miami Dolphins, and John Harbaugh has brought an embarrassing number of former Baltimore Ravens to the New York Giants this offseason.
But New Orleans doesn’t have any obvious Las Vegas connection. Outside of former Silver & Black linebacker Kyle Wilber, who is their assistant special teams coach, there’s no clear bridge between the two organizations.
That’s what makes this so unusual. If the Raiders had been piling up wins and developing surplus talent, it would make sense for other teams to keep grabbing their castoffs.
But these are pieces from a 3-14 team. It’s hard to see why the Saints keep circling back.
For now, Richardson gets a fresh start close to home. And with the Saints set to face the Raiders in Week 3 at Caesar’s Superdome, this odd little offseason pipeline will get a chance to play out on the field.
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