The Saints may have a tempting decision to make if they open 2026 on the right foot.
New Orleans is coming off a 2025 season that didn’t go the distance, but it did point the franchise in a better direction. Tyler Shough and Kellen Moore have helped give the team a younger, faster feel, and the roster now has enough bright spots to make the Saints look like a group on the rise rather than one stuck in place.
That matters because the NFC South doesn’t exactly look like a division with anyone far ahead of the pack. If the Saints are better early and carry that confidence into the trade deadline, a playoff push would be very much on the table.
And if that happens, Mickey Loomis is not the kind of general manager who tends to sit on his hands. Last season’s deadline showed that clearly enough. When New Orleans was struggling to win games, the expectation was that the Saints would be sellers, and they did wind up making some solid moves before the deadline passed.
This time, though, the question is bigger than whether the Saints can make a deal. It’s whether they should.
From the short-term angle, the answer looks like yes. New Orleans hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2020, and getting back there would mean a lot for a team trying to show the rest of the league it’s moving in the right direction. A strong finish to the season could also create momentum that carries into the offseason.
But there’s another side to this, and it’s the one that can trip up rebuilding teams. A club can get excited by early success and jump too quickly, only to slow its own development. The Saints are still only in year 2 of their rebuild, which makes the idea of becoming major buyers at the deadline feel premature.
That’s the tension New Orleans will have to manage if 2026 starts to look promising: chase the immediate payoff, or protect the long-term build.
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Saints Open Practice Schedule Includes A Summer Return Fans Will Love
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For fans, the appeal is as much about access as it is about football. Admission is free, though tickets must be reserved in advance, and the team is again opening up live coverage through its mobile app so supporters who cannot make it in person can still follow along. With the calendar now set, the next thing worth watching is how the Saints use those joint sessions and the stadium stop to shape the rest of camp. [Read more 🡒]