In the coming days, I’ll be doing brief synopses for each NFL team regarding their current cap situation and offseason approach they should take.
We’ll start with the teams that have the most cap space available, then work our way down to those teams who have less cap space, to those who have work to do to gain cap space.
Each synopsis will look at cap space (or how much over the cap), players under contract, total draft picks, any players with a fifth-year option decision ahead and notes about the most notable free agent, the most likely player cut and the quarterback situation.
Next up is the New Orleans Saints.
Players under contract for 2026: 66
Projected cap space: $6M over the cap
Total draft picks: Eight (No. 8 in first round)
Most notable free agent: Alontae Taylor
Most likely roster cut: Alvin Kamara (post-June 1 designation)
Fifth-year option decision: Bryan Bresee
Quarterback situation: Tyler Shough will likely enter 2026 as the starter but the Saints will probably add a veteran as a fallback option.
The ideal offseason approach:
The Saints don’t have to go through restructuring every veteran under contract this time around, but will have to do a few restructures to be able to explore free agency. It may be best to limit restructures to players under the age of 30.
Also, the Saints shouldn’t get too aggressive in free agency just yet because they need to see how Shough progresses in 2026. They can look at keeping some of their own free agents but they want to watch how they structure contracts.
The Saints could consider trading down from No. 8 overall if they don’t see a player they love at that spot. If the Saints add a veteran QB, they could try to trade Spencer Rattler, who might appeal to teams looking for an inexpensive young QB to try out.