HEADLINES

New Orleans Saints News & Rumors

NFL Sets $182.5MM Salary Cap

March 10th, 2021 at 9:31am CST by Zachary Links

The NFL salary cap has been set at $182.5MM, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). This marks a sizable (though expected) drop from last year’s $198.2MM limit.

Teams will not be allowed to borrow cap room from future years, per the CBA, so teams are basically stuck with the hard cap and difficult choices ahead. However, teams do have other ways to navigate the cap, including rollover from 2020, post-June 1 cuts, and contract restructuring.

With the new salary cap, the league has also determined the values of this year’s franchise tag tenders (Twitter link):

  • Quarterback $25.104MM
  • Running Back $8.655MM
  • Tight End $9.601MM
  • Offensive Lineman $13.754MM
  • Defensive End $16.069MM
  • Defensive Tackle $13.888M
  • Linebacker $14.791M
  • Cornerback $15.06MM
  • Kicker/Punter $4.482MM

Here’s the full rundown of this year’s franchise tags, including players on repeat tags who receive a 20% increase:

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/9/21

March 9th, 2021 at 6:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Houston Texans

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tennessee Titans

Saints Franchise Tag S Marcus Williams

March 9th, 2021 at 2:30pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Saints are in a bad cap spot, but they’re finding ways to make things work. New Orleans has franchise tagged safety Marcus Williams, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

As Rapsheet points out, this one is a bit of a surprise, mostly due to the Saints’ poor cap situation. As he noted in a follow-up tweet, this move will necessitate further “cap gymnastics” for GM Mickey Loomis. We heard last week that the Saints wanted to keep Williams in the fold, and clearly they weren’t playing around. As of last week, the Saints were around $70MM over the projected cap, so Loomis has his work cut out for him.

A third-round pick back in 2017, Williams became an immediate starter and has always been very highly graded by the folks at Pro Football Focus. With Williams and Justin Simmons of the Broncos both getting franchise tagged, the potential top two free agent safeties are both off the board. John Johnson of the Rams will now possibly be the most sought-after safety on the open market.

He started 14 games last year, picking off three passes and racking up seven passes defended. He has multiple interceptions in all four of his pro seasons. In order to make this tag work the Saints will need to clear about $11MM in space immediately, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football tweets.

Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramczyk Extensions On Saints’ Radar

March 8th, 2021 at 3:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

Continuing to make progress in their pursuit of cap compliance, the Saints have identified two higher-profile moves they would like to make. The team wants to extend Marshon Lattimore and/or Ryan Ramczyk, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (video link).

After trimming more than $20MM in cap space over the past week, the Saints are still nearly $50MM over the $180MM mark that doubles as the floor for the 2021 cap. Extensions for their 2017 first-round picks would help on this front, as they would reduce the 2017 draftees’ cap numbers. Each is set to play next season on a fifth-year option salary.

But it will be interesting to see if the Saints can hammer out a top-market extension amid this time crunch. Two extensions in this span would be highly unlikely. Both players are extension targets, but the franchise might be targeting just one in the coming days and potentially completing the other’s deal later. The Saints are not believed to be close with either Lattimore or Ramczyk, Rapoport adds.

The Saints completed top-market extensions for Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara late in the past two summers. Lattimore and Ramczyk qualify as players who will also push to secure their respective position’s top salary. Ramczyk is set to earn just more than $11MM this season; Lattimore is attached to a $10.2MM fifth-year option salary. The Saints have until March 17 to move under the cap.

Extensions for Tre’Davious White, Marlon Humphrey and Jalen Ramsey transformed a stagnant cornerback market last year; each earns at least $17MM annually. White and Ramsey pushed the corner ceiling north of $19MM per year. Ramczyk’s talks may be more complicated. Deals for Laremy Tunsil and David Bakhtiari — each now attached to deals worth at least $22MM annually — have left tackles holding a big lead on right tackles financially. Lane Johnson ($18MM AAV) and Trent Brown ($16.5MM) are the only right tackles making more than $14MM per year, and the Raiders are shopping Brown. New Orleans’ right tackle starter since his 2017 rookie season, Ramczyk has been one of the NFL’s best tackles since his rookie year.

PFR Poll: Will Saints’ Drew Brees Retire?

March 7th, 2021 at 3:49pm CST by Zachary Links

In the midst of the playoffs, it was widely reported that Drew Brees would retire after the season. Now, we’re in March, and Brees has yet to make any sort of announcement. 

Of course, Brees has nothing left to prove. The 42-year-old can walk away with one of the most illustrious careers in the history of the sport. He currently has the most yards in league history, and more touchdowns than anyone not named Tom Brady. He even has his post-retirement career lined up after signing a deal with NBC Sports last April.

Brees has missed significant time with health issues in each of the past two seasons and he’d be leaving the Saints in a pretty okay place, provided that they can re-sign Jameis Winston. The Saints also have Taysom Hill on the roster with hope that he can be the answer under center in the long run. So, what’s the hold up?

Over the past few weeks, many have speculated that Brees could be having second thoughts about retiring. The longer this goes on, the more chatter picks up about the Super Bowl XLIV champ actually playing in 2021 on the (effectively) final year of his contract.

At this point, do you expect Brees to retire? Cast your vote below (link for app users) and let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Saints Rework Contracts Of DE Cameron Jordan, LB Demario Davis

March 6th, 2021 at 10:25am CST by Ben Levine

The Saints have been busy clearing cap space over the past few days, and they’ve once again restructured the contracts of veterans. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that defensive end Cameron Jordan and linebacker Demario Davis have both agreed to rework their contracts. These two moves will save the Saints more than $13MM in cap space.

Jordan was set to have a cap hit of $18.9MM in 2021, which would have been the highest on the team. The 31-year-old has spent his entire career in New Orleans, establishing himself as a consistent force on the defensive line. Remarkably, the former first-rounder hasn’t missed a regular season game since joining the organization, and he earned his fourth-straight Pro Bowl nod (sixth overall) in 2020 after finishing with 51 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and one forced fumble. Jordan inked a three-year, $52.5MM deal with New Orleans back in 2019 that will keep him with the organization through the 2023 season.

Following a pair of stints with the Jets and a one-year cameo with the Browns, Davis joined the Saints back in 2018. He’s since established himself as one of the best linebackers in the game; after earning first-team All-Pro honors in 2019, the 32-year-old followed that up with a second-team nod in 2020. Davis ultimately finished this past season having compiled 119 tackles and four sacks. The veteran inked a three-year, $27MM deal with the Saints last September, and he was set to have a $10.8MM cap hit in 2021.

The Saints have made a handful of moves over the past week. The team reworked the contracts of defensive tackle David Onyemata and kicker Wil Lutz, and they released punter Thomas Morstead and tight end Josh Hill. Prior to today’s moves, Katherine Terrell of The Athletic estimated (on Twitter) that New Orleans had already opened more than $24MM in cap space with their various moves.

Saints Re-Sign Ty Montgomery

March 6th, 2021 at 8:46am CST by Ben Levine

Ty Montgomery is heading back to New Orleans. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the Saints have re-signed the veteran to a one-year pact. Specifically, it’s a “veteran benefit deal” that includes a $137.5K signing bonus.

The 2015 third-round pick spent the first three-plus seasons of his career in Green Bay, including a 2016 campaign where he collected 805 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns. He was traded to the Ravens midway through the 2018 campaign, and he served as Le’Veon Bell‘s backup with the Jets in 2019.

Montgomery signed with the Saints last offseason but spent the beginning of the season sitting on IR. With much of New Orleans’ running back corps sidelined by COVID protocol, Montgomery had a chance to start in Week 17, finishing with 105 rushing yards on 18 carries. He finished the 2020 season having appeared in six games, and he made an additional appearance in the postseason.

The 28-year-old has displayed plenty of versatility throughout his career, serving as a running back, wideout, and return man. He’ll likely serve a similar Swiss Army Knife-type role in 2021, although it’ll be tough for him to surpass Alvin Kamara or Latavius Murray on the running backs depth chart, and he’d be (at best) the team’s fifth wideout heading into the offseason.

Saints Restructure Wil Lutz’s Contract

March 5th, 2021 at 4:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints continue to methodically move down toward the NFL’s projected salary cap. While they have a long way to go, the team made another move Friday afternoon on the path toward cap compliance ahead of the 2021 league year.

New Orleans will restructure Wil Lutz‘s contract, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). This move will create $1.74MM in cap space for the team. Lutz is attached to a five-year, $20.25MM extension he signed in March 2019. The five-year Saints kicker is signed through the 2023 season.

Many more moves will be required over the next week and change. The Saints entered Friday just more than $60MM over the $180MM mark that represents the floor for the 2021 salary cap. They have begun doing work to clear space, though the lion’s share of this process has yet to transpire.

The Saints released veterans Thomas Morstead and Josh Hill this week and restructured David Onyemata‘s contract. Along with Friday’s Lutz restructure, this work week’s round of moves created upwards of $11MM in cap space. The team still has the most work to do on the cap front of any NFL team as the 2020 league year winds down.

Saints Cut Thomas Morstead

March 4th, 2021 at 1:49pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Saints are cutting a long-time member of the team. New Orleans has released punter Thomas Morstead, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football confirmed (Twitter link). The news was first reported by Nader Mirfiq (on Twitter).

The move frees up about $2.5MM in cap space. The team unusually kept UDFA rookie Blake Gillikin on the active roster at the beginning of last year before placing him on injured reserve, perhaps signaling they viewed him as the punter of the future. Morstead was more than just the team’s punter, he was also a leader in the locker room and fan favorite due to his long tenure and consistent performance.

Drafted by the Saints in the fifth-round all the way back in 2009, he’s been with them for the past 12 seasons. He’s never missed a game during that span, and he won Super Bowl XLIV with the team. Still only 34, he should have plenty left in the tank physically and should be able to find a new home.

The highest-paid punter in the game for a while, Morstead made the Pro Bowl in 2012 and was also a second-team All-Pro that year. On a zoom call with the media shortly after the news broke, Morstead confirmed he plans to play elsewhere and said last year’s drop in production was due to lingering injuries, Underhill tweets.

He also thanked the fans and Saints, saying “I’m overwhelmed with gratitude and thanks. … My whole experience with the organization has been outstanding,” via another tweet from Underhill.

Saints Release TE Josh Hill

March 3rd, 2021 at 3:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints’ tight end group will boast a new look next season. With Jared Cook likely to depart as a free agent, the Saints also made the move Wednesday to cut veteran Josh Hill, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

Still more than $60MM over the projected 2021 salary cap, the Saints will save $2.5MM by jettisoning Hill. One season remained on Hill’s deal. This move comes after the Saints adjusted David Onyemata‘s contract to create $4MM-plus in cap space.

Hill has been with the Saints for eight seasons, having only played in New Orleans as a pro. The Saints gave him a three-year, $8.85MM extension late in the 2018 season. New Orleans then signed Cook in 2019. His contract included a 2021 void year, pointing the veteran elsewhere after a two-year Saints stay.

The Saints continually brought in veteran receiving tight ends — from Coby Fleener to Ben Watson to Cook — while keeping Hill, who began his career when Jimmy Graham was still with the Saints. While Hill did not factor in much as a pass catcher last season, he remained a high-end run blocker. Pro Football Focus graded Hill as its No. 4 overall run-blocking tight end in 2020.

Hill, who will turn 31 in May, played in 117 Saints games and started 61 of those. Barring a reunion down the line, Hill will finish with 116 catches, 1,017 yards and 15 TDs as a Saint.

Load More Posts