New Orleans Saints GM Mickey Loomis already has a reputation as an aggressive NFL executive.
According to a report form Peter King of Sports Illustrated, he may be looking to the 2015 NFL Draft in late April as the latest venue in which to show that tireless desire to upgrade the Saints roster to the rest of the league.
"I don't believe it involves Drew Brees, because I think the Saints are committed to at least one more season of Brees at quarterback. But I hear New Orleans wants to be even more active before the draft, and that could mean dealing stalwart guard Jahri Evans for a third- or fourth-round pick," King writes. "Or it could mean signing or dealing defensive end Cam Jordan. As of today, the Saints are the biggest power players in the draft. They're the only team with five picks in the first three rounds. They have 13, 31, 44, 75 and 78. So actually they have five picks in the first two-and-a-half rounds. That gives aggressive GM Mickey Loomis the ammo to start to remake his team."
With five picks in the first three rounds, Loomis has more than enough ammunition to do just about anything he wants, whether that means trading up, down or adding a veteran piece from another team.
The Saints are reportedly showing interest in former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, who is slated to be gone long before their selection at 13th in the first-round. If Loomis is intrigued by the notion of adding Brees' successor and has keyed in on Mariota, he's got ample ammo to make it happen.
Likewise, if the team views Evans and Jordan so no longer integral to the team's long-term success, moving them for further draft assets is very possible.
The 31-year-old Evans was rumored to be in danger of getting cut last month, according to a report from Katherine Terrell of The Times-Picayune. The six-time Pro Bowl guard and the team apparently came together to instead discuss a financial middle-ground that would allow Evans to stay in a Saints uniform.
If King is correct, that reprieve may be short-lived.
As for Jordan, the former first-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft is set to enter his fifth NFL season. He finished last year with 51 tackles, 7.5 sacks and five passes defensed.
He's played in all 16 games each of his four seasons in the league and the team exercised the fifth-year extension on his rookie deal, meaning he'll count approximately $6.7 million against the cap for next year.
Saints head coach Sean Payton said at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix last week that the team was discussing a long-term contract extension with Jordan, but should a draft-day deal, too enticing to pass up, present itself, the Saints could relieve themselves of both his currently sizable cap hit and, no doubt major, future contract demands in one fell swoop.
