Lattimore remains committed to Saints after trade speculation

Star cornerback Marshon Lattimore remains committed to the New Orleans Saints following months of speculation about a potential trade.

"I've got to be here, I've got to be present," Lattimore said at the team's mandatory minicamp Tuesday, according to ESPN's Katherine Terrell. "I'm not thinking about whether I'm going to get traded or nothing like that. I don't really care, to be honest."

Lattimore and star running back Alvin Kamara made their first appearances at the Saints' facility this offseason Tuesday.

"Lattimore has never missed a mandatory (minicamp). … So I kind of expected he would be here," head coach Dennis Allen said.

Lattimore said he didn't request a trade after last season, adding that the two sides had to deal with "a personal situation." The Saints restructured the four-time Pro Bowler's contract two weeks prior to the offseason.

Speculation regarding his status with the team intensified after the Saints selected cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry in the second round of the draft. General manager Mickey Loomis also said during a predraft conference that everyone is tradable.

The Saints selected Lattimore 11th overall in the 2017 draft. He tallied 52 tackles, 18 passes defended, and fives interceptions en route to being named Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Lattimore has missed 17 games over the past two seasons; he sustained a lacerated kidney in 2022 and suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 10 last year.

Despite being linked to trade rumors throughout the offseason, Lattimore doesn't hold any ill will toward the organization and said he wants to prove he's the No. 1 cornerback in the league.

"I've been hurt for two years, so I understand that people probably don't think I'm the same type of player, or whatever the case may be," Lattimore said. All I've got to do is prove to people that I am. So that really falls on me."