March 21, 2026, 6:55 a.m. CT
2026 has been an outstanding chance for the New Orleans Saints to not only relieve themselves of their previous cap burdens but also build a roster that could compete around Kellen Moore and Tyler Shough. With the quarterback and head coach in place, things become much easier, and free agency has been a sign that they are ready to turn things around and show some fight this season.
After losing some of their larger dead cap hits this spring and also having some major contracts offloaded, the Saints found themselves in the green by quite a bit heading into March. They made it count early, making some large-scale signings for the first time in a while.
What becomes really fascinating is looking ahead to 2027, where the dead cap issues become even less worrisome for New Orleans. According to the OverTheCap projections, the Saints would sit roughly $76 million in the green next year, putting them in the top half of the league for the first time in what feels like a decade.
This makes the next 12 months very exciting for Saints fans, as if they compete somewhat this season, they will have a substantial amount of cap to contribute even further in a 2027 free agency class with some real headliners. While many players get franchise tagged or retained early nowadays, some sneak through every now and then, and New Orleans will no doubt look to capitalize once again as free agency opens again next year.
