New Orleans Saints Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Saints Gain $4.3MM+ In Cap Room

March 3rd, 2021 at 9:36am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints now have $4.34MM in extra cap room to work with, thanks to David Onyemata. The defensive tackle has agreed to convert a portion of his $7MM base into a signing bonus, kicking a portion of his hit into 2022 and granting the Saints some flexibility in the near term.

Onyemata cracked the Saints’ starting lineup in 2019 and re-upped with the Saints last year on a three-year, $27MM deal. The move garnered mixed reviews since Onyemata wasn’t a tremendous performer in his platform year, per the advanced metrics. Then, he silenced the critics with 44 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 16 quarterback hits, and one interception. Pro Football Focus graded him as the seventh-best interior defender in the NFL, behind only Aaron Donald, Chris Jones, Mario Edwards Jr., Vita Vea, DeForest Buckner, and Cameron Heyward.

Meanwhile, the Saints have also re-signed defensive back J.T. Gray, Rapoport hears. The special teams specialist will stick around on a two-year, $4MM deal that includes $2MM in guarantees.

Saints Shopping DT Malcom Brown

March 2nd, 2021 at 2:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints are looking to the trade market to help their dire cap situation. The team has begun to shop defensive tackle Malcom Brown, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

A former Patriots first-round pick, Brown is going into the third season of a three-year deal. He is due a $4.6MM base salary in 2021. The Saints moving on from Brown would save them nearly $5MM in cap space. If the Saints are unable to find a taker, a Brown release would seem the logical next step.

Of course, New Orleans would need to do much more than unload Brown to comply with the salary cap. The team remains nearly $70MM over the projected $180MM cap. Mid-tier veterans profile as the players the Saints will look to part with in order to move under the cap.

Brown has worked as a starter for the Saints in each of his two seasons. New Orleans has used the 2019 signee as a first-stringer in 29 games, with ex-first-rounder Sheldon Rankins coming off the bench. The Saints re-signed D-tackle David Onyemata last year and may not be able to carry two veteran contracts at this position under the current circumstances.

Saints Re-Sign Noah Spence

March 2nd, 2021 at 9:33am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints have re-signed edge rusher Noah Spence, according to Katherine Terrell of The Athletic (Twitter link). Due to injury, he has yet to play a down for New Orleans. His new deal is believed to be another one-year arrangement for the sub-$1MM minimum.

The Buccaneers selected Spence in the second round of the 2016 draft and he managed 5.5 sacks in his rookie campaign. Unfortunately, his sophomore season was largely lost to injury and he didn’t really produce in 12 games in 2018. The Bucs waived him prior to the start of the 2019 regular season, leading him to Washington. After two months there, the Saints picked him up in December.

Spence suffered another setback last year when he tore his ACL during spring workouts. Now, it seems like he’s on the road to recovery and ready to compete for a depth spot.

Saints Want To Keep S Marcus Williams

March 1st, 2021 at 4:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

Facing a historic cap crunch, the Saints will still try to retain one of their own marquee free agents. They intend to prioritize safety Marcus Williams, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Two weeks before the start of the legal tampering period, the Saints are a staggering $69MM-plus over a projected $180MM cap. The franchise has continually faced difficult cap situations, only to navigate them and still manage to bolster its roster — as it did last year via Emmanuel Sanders and Malcolm Jenkins. But this year’s situation presents a final boss-type challenge for New Orleans’ front office.

No other team is within $25MM of the Saints’ present payroll obligations, with the Eagles residing as the league’s only other franchise more than $40MM over the projected cap. The Saints will go through an eventful two weeks to comply with the cap, though the NFL’s in-progress TV deals could help the organization to a degree. It is not certain yet where the 2021 cap will land, which has halted NFL activity to a degree.

Part of one of the best draft classes any team has put together in many years, Williams has been a starter since arriving in the 2017 third round. Pro Football Focus has graded him as a top-eight player at his position in three of his four seasons, including 2020. While 2017 draft classmate Trey Hendrickson figures to have a market as well, Williams has reeled off a much longer run of production with the Saints. Mickey Loomis has acknowledged keeping Hendrickson will be tough.

Williams stands as one of the league’s top free agents, with he and Justin Simmons perhaps residing as the top safeties available. The Broncos are set to make Simmons unavailable, via the franchise tag, which would take a key target off the board. The Jets are also likely to take Marcus Maye off the market via the tag. While other safeties may well be available — from Anthony Harris to Keanu Neal to John Johnson — Williams may be the top prize at this position, should he hit the market. As PFR’s Rory Parks noted recently, a Williams tag — in the $10MM vicinity — will be off the table, meaning the Saints would need to have him extended by March 15 to avoid the talented defender negotiating with other teams.

This Date In Transactions History: Saints Release Jairus Byrd

February 28th, 2021 at 2:47pm CST by Zachary Links

On this date in 2017, the Saints released Jairus Byrd. The safety had still had multiple years to go on his six-year, $56MM deal, but, at this point, the Saints had seen enough.

Byrd joined the Saints as a free agent in 2014, when he was positioned as one of the best talents available in the class. In his previous run with the Bills, Byrd was a star, making three Pro Bowls and intercepted a whopping 22 passes. In New Orleans, he totaled just three picks in three years. For his 33 games (32 starts), Byrd collected $28MM in guaranteed cash alone.

Injuries hampered Byrd throughout his Saints tenure, but he wasn’t a total bust. In 2016 — his age-30 season — Byrd turned in his first 16-start season since 2012. His performance placed him in the middle-of-the-pack among safeties that year (42 out of 89), per Pro Football Focus. So, even though things trending up, he wasn’t worth the megabucks. The Saints recouped $3.2MM of his would-be salary for 2017 but were still left saddled with ~$8MM in dead money.

Unfortunately, Byrd wasn’t able to do much after his release. In the fall, he hooked on with the Panthers to help fill in for an injured Kurt Coleman. After a dozen games and zero starts, Byrd’s Carolina stint marked his last action in the NFL. On the field, Byrd is best remembered for his glory days in Buffalo. In GM circles, Byrd became something of a cautionary tale for teams considering high-priced safeties. The following year, players like Eric Reid and Saints starter Kenny Vaccaro felt the sting of the depressed safety market.

The Only NFL Players With No-Trade Clauses

February 27th, 2021 at 10:30pm CST by Zachary Links

It’s fairly common for disgruntled NFL players to give their teams a short list of acceptable trade destinations. However, it’s still quite rare for players to hold contractual veto power over a trade. Currently, there are only nine NFL players with a no-trade clause in their deals, as ESPN.com’s Field Yates tweets:

▪️ Drew Brees, QB (Saints)
▪️ Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, OL (Chiefs)
▪️ Jimmy Garoppolo, QB (49ers)
▪️ Jimmy Graham, TE (Bears)
▪️ DeAndre Hopkins, WR (Cardinals)
▪️ Patrick Mahomes, QB (Chiefs)
▪️ Deshaun Watson, QB (Texans)
▪️ J.J. Watt, DL (Cardinals)
▪️ Russell Wilson, QB (Seahawks)

The Chiefs, who represent 25% of the list, furnished LDT with a NTC as a part of his contract restructure. Historically, there haven’t been many offensive lineman to secure the clause. However, Duvernay-Tardif had a bit of leverage in 2020 when the Chiefs needed extra cap room. He was scheduled to count for nearly $9MM, $6.45MM of which was comprised of base salary. Instead, he converted some of that money into a signing bonus over the remaining three years and came away with a perk typically reserved for quarterbacks.

Watson and Wilson are among the QBs who can block trades. They’re both putting it to use, albeit in different ways. Watson wants out — even after finally meeting with new head coach David Culley – and he’s steering himself towards a small group of teams, including the Dolphins and Panthers. Wilson, meanwhile, says that he doesn’t want to get traded and doesn’t expect to get traded. But, if the Seahawks do shop him, he wouldn’t mind joining up with the Bears, Cowboys, Saints or Raiders. In beating out several other teams for Watt, the Cardinals included the clause in the star defender’s contract.

Seahawks’ Russell Wilson Open To Cowboys, Saints, Raiders, Bears

February 25th, 2021 at 12:46pm CST by Zachary Links

Russell Wilson has not demanded a trade, agent Mark Rodgers tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). However, the quarterback has told the Seahawks that if a trade were to be considered, he would be willing to join the Cowboys, Saints, Raiders, or Bears. Wilson, armed with a no-trade clause, will not consider any team outside of that group.

The Jets, Dolphins, and Panthers have been heavily linked to Deshaun Watson and would surely be interested in Wilson. Unfortunately for them, they didn’t make the cut. Ditto for the Broncos, Patriots, 49ers, and the Washington Football team, who were runners-up for Matthew Stafford. Of course, it’d be difficult to imagine Wilson in San Francisco, anyway.

Given the Bears’ recent struggles, their inclusion on Wilson’s short list is a bit surprising. Ditto for the Raiders, though they could parlay their current top two quarterbacks — Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota — into additional offensive support for Wilson. The Saints would be especially intriguing for Wilson, though Drew Brees has yet to make his retirement official. Meanwhile, Wilson-to-the-Cowboys would spin this year’s quarterback carousel out of orbit and send Dak Prescott elsewhere.

Wilson, 32, has been the face of the Seahawks for years. He’s also been sacked at an alarming rate. Recently, Wilson expressed frustration with the Seahawks’ inability to protect him. As a pro, Wilson has been sacked 394 times with 40+ sacks in each season since his rookie year.

The Seahawks furnished Wilson a brand new deal less than two years ago. Today, his average annual value of $35MM/year makes him the third-highest paid player in the NFL. So far, the Seahawks have rejected all trade inquiries on him, but that hasn’t stopped teams from trying.

OL Nick Easton Has Spoken With 4 Teams, Including Saints

February 23rd, 2021 at 1:38pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Offensive lineman Nick Easton became one of the first veteran cap casualties of the offseason when the Saints released him nine days ago, but the cut could end up working to his advantage as he’s now been able to get a head start on free agency.

Easton has had discussions with at least four teams already, Josina Anderson of ESPN tweets. Interestingly, one of those teams is New Orleans, who apparently has interest in bringing him back. Anderson writes the team is open to having him return for 2021 “after the club maneuvers through cap gymnastics.” She adds that Easton himself “is not in a huge hurry to sign,” so it sounds like the Saints can take their time figuring out their cap issues.

New Orleans is currently dealing with one of the worst cap situations in the league, and they saved $5.87MM by releasing him. Easton entered the league as an UDFA out of Harvard back in 2015, and after bouncing around a couple teams found a home with the Vikings.

He started 12 games for Minnesota in 2017, and after a neck injury costed him the whole 2018 season he landed a four-year, $24MM deal from the Saints in 2019. This past season he appeared in 12 games and started nine for Sean Payton’s offense. Still only 28, it’s not surprising there’s significant interest from teams looking for guard help, and he should be able to land at least a few million in guaranteed money.

Zach Strief To Join Saints’ Coaching Staff

February 19th, 2021 at 5:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

After playing 12 seasons with the Saints, Zach Strief will return to the organization as a coach. The Saints are hiring Strief as their assistant offensive line coach, according to WWL Radio.

Strief has worked with WWL as a play-by-play announcer in New Orleans since retiring in 2018, but he will join Sean Payton‘s staff. Previous Saints assistant O-line coach Brendan Nugent is expected to take another position on staff, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets.

Part of Payton’s first Saints draft class, as a seventh-round pick in 2006, Strief only played in New Orleans during his NFL career. After serving as a fill-in starter early in his career, Strief became a full-timer at right tackle in the 2010s. He spent six-plus seasons as the Saints’ regular right tackle, with knee injuries in 2017 ending that run.

Browns Lead NFL In Salary Cap Carryover

February 18th, 2021 at 10:19pm CST by Ben Levine

Earlier today, the NFL Players Association announced (via Twitter) the salary cap carryover amounts for all 32 NFL teams for the 2021 season. Effectively, teams are able to rollover their unused cap from the previous season. So, when the 2021 salary cap numbers become official, they can be added to each team’s carryover amount to determine that individual club’s official cap for 2021.

This follows news from earlier today that the NFL has raised its salary cap floor to $180MM for 2021. This total could clue us in to the salary cap maximum, which could end up landing north of $190MM. The salary cap was $198.2MM for the 2020 campaign.

As the NFLPA detailed, the league will rollover $315.1MM from the 2020 season, an average of $9.8MM per team. The Browns lead the league with a whopping $30.4MM, and they’re the only team in the top-five to make the playoffs. The NFC East ($68.8MM) and AFC East ($65.3MM) are the two divisions will the largest carryover amounts.

The full list is below:

Cleveland Browns: $30.4MM
New York Jets: $26.7MM
Dallas Cowboys: $25.4MM
Jacksonville Jaguars: $23.5MM
Philadelphia Eagles: $22.8MM
New England Patriots: $19.6MM
Denver Broncos: $17.8MM
Washington Football Team: $15.8MM
Miami Dolphins: $15.2MM
Detroit Lions: $12.8MM
Cincinnati Bengals: $10.8MM
Houston Texans: $9.2MM
Indianapolis Colts: $8.3MM
Los Angeles Chargers: $8.1MM
Chicago Bears: $7MM
Los Angeles Rams: $5.7MM
Kansas City Chiefs: $5.1MM
Arizona Cardinals: $5MM
Pittsburgh Steelers: $5MM
New York Giants: $4.8MM
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $4.6MM
Minnesota Vikings: $4.5MM
Carolina Panthers: $4.3MM
New Orleans Saints: $4.1MM
Buffalo Bills: $3.8MM
Green Bay Packers: $3.7MM
Las Vegas Raiders: $3.6MM
Tennessee Titans: $2.3MM
San Francisco 49ers: $1.9MM
Atlanta Falcons: $1.8MM
Seattle Seahawks: $956K
Baltimore Ravens: $587K

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