The New Orleans Saints offense looked elite through the first two weeks. It has been all downhill from there. The team finished 5-12, placing last in the NFC South after the Panthers finished strong. They fired their head coach, Dennis Allen, midseason and have already started the coaching search. Unfortunately, the roster is not an attractive one. The Saints have spent years kicking the can down the road on the salary cap, and they show no signs of stopping. Here are three important questions for the Saints this offseason.
1. What’s The Salary Cap Plan This Time?
The New Orleans Saints salary cap is a piece of work. Spotrac projects they are currently $61 million over the cap (last in the league) and also have $48 million in dead cap hits coming (first in the league). This would make sense for a team trying to make a final push to a Super Bowl. That’s not what this team is. Here are the top five cap hits coming for the team in 2025.
- QB Derek Carr: $51.4 million (18.71%)
- DE Cam Jordan: $20 million (7.29%)
- TE Taysom Hill: $17.9 million (6.54%)
- C Erik McCoy: $15.4 million (5.63%)
- DE Payton Turner: $13.3 million (4.87%)
Their top three cap hits are all 34 years old or older. Most of the players on this roster are in their upper 20s or low 30s. The Carr signing is looking worse and worse. His contract is guaranteed, meaning they can’t cut him to save money. Spencer Rattler doesn’t look like the future, so it looks like it will be Carr’s job for another year. It’s been time for a tear-down for five years, but the New Orleans Saints keep insisting on trying to build a fringe playoff contender. Is this the year they finally blow it all up?
2. What Do The New Orleans Saints Do With Chris Olave?
The New Orleans Saints traded up to get the talented receiver out of Ohio State. When he has been on the field, it has looked like a great move. However, the 2022 first-round pick had now had four concussions in his young career. Research has shown that too many concussions in a short amount of time can be life-threatening. While he hasn’t called it a career, we are in “one more concussion and your career might be over” territory. This makes his contract tricky for the Saints.
They still have a little bit of time, but right now is when teams would look to extend the players they want to have as the future of their franchise. It saves the team cap space in the short term and gives the player long-term stability. I’m sure the New Orleans Saints want to keep him. However, committing to a player with this many concussions is very risky. It will be interesting to see if they try to work something out or wait to see how he looks on the field next season.
3. What Should The Saints Do In The Draft?
The New Orleans Saints have so many holes. They need cheap talent that can play above what they are being paid. The organization should look to build in the trenches. Good teams often come out of years of investment in the offensive and defensive line. Jordan is getting older, and the Saints need players who can rush the passer. On the other side of the ball, they need players who can protect the quarterback. New Orleans has spent years investing in the line, but those players have not panned out.
Keep an eye out for the New Orleans Saints as a trade-down candidate. Getting more draft capital should be at the top of the priority list. They need to nail their draft picks if they truly are committed to making this roster work. This draft also isn’t as strong after the first four or five players. Instead of reaching for a player, the Saints could look to use their top ten pick to gather more resources.
Final Thoughts
Of all the teams this offseason, the New Orleans Saints have the bleakest outlook. They are stuck in a sports franchise’s worst place: mediocrity. They aren’t bad enough to get a top pick but aren’t good enough to be competing for a championship. Is this the year they finally make major changes, or will they enter next year looking like the same team?
