4 trade destinations for Pittsburgh Steelers WR James Washington

2. New Orleans Saints

The other team that makes the most sense in a trade for James Washington is the New Orleans Saints. The Saints retained a majority of their starters on both sides of the ball from 2020, but are obviously losing one of the great quarterbacks of all time in Drew Brees. It looks like Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill might be doing some quarterback committee this season, and it’s going to be important to have a good group of weapons.

The issue for the Saints this season is that they’re likely to be without Michael Thomas until at least October, which puts a ton of pressure on Alvin Kamara and a hopeful breakout for second-year tight end Adam Trautman. Marquez Callaway is also gaining steam in camp right now, but he’s not going to become a WR1 overnight.

Washington can be the stopgap WR1 and a very good WR2 when Thomas returns. For an offense under Sean Payton that likes to go vertical, Washington would be an excellent compliment to Thomas in the offense, and command targets from a quarterback in Winston who likes taking shots down the field. Washington would provide that deep threat with added trust, something Winston (and the Saints) both need. The Saints have enough capital to toss a fourth rounder to Pittsburgh for Washington.