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The New Orleans Saints, an organization perpetually mired in self-inflicted salary cap misery, and in recent years, wandering through the desert in search of a quarterback, may finally be entering an offseason they can make some headway on the rest of the NFC South.
Almost accidentally, the Saints stumbled into second-round pick Tyler Shough’s upside last season, and have the fortune of now setting out to build around a quarterback on a second-round pick’s rookie contract.
Shough took over after the Spencer Rattler experiment proved it was going nowhere fast, and proceeded to complete 67.6 percent of his passes for 2,384 yards with 10 touchdowns to six interceptions and a 91.3 passer rating, as a rookie.
Beyond the box score, Shough flashed a gritty mobility and toughness that has people inside the Ochsner Sports Performance Center not only optimistic about their quarterback’s ceiling but feverishly scratching out blueprints to build around him while maximizing his rookie contract window.
Perhaps most optimistic for the Saints is that the teeth of Shough’s rookie contract coincide with some relief from the salary cap purgatory this franchise has operated from for at least the past decade within reach.
Here’s a look at how Mickey Loomis and head coach Kellen Moore can accelerate the franchise’s rebuild in the months ahead.
The dark clouds that have hovered over the Saints’ financials, largely of Loomis’ doing, thanks to his addiction to chasing high-priced veterans and paying them top-of-market deals, are beginning to clear with some massive sunshine just over the horizon if the organization can resist falling into its big-spending ways.
Yes, the Saints open this offseason projected to be just over $6 million over the salary cap ahead of free agency getting underway, but to a spendthrift like Loomis, that’s basically the medium nitro cold brew he begins his offseason with.
There are also some very manageable ways that New Orleans can get cap complient, and once they do, the Saints are projected to have at least $150.6 million in cap space in 2027, and as of now, only the Los Angeles Rams are projected to have more spending flexibility than the Saints’ $295 million and change in cap space.
The Saints can release running-on-fumes running back Alvin Kamara to free up $8.5 million in cap space, while absorbing a $10 million dead money charge. Meanwhile, releasing third-year safety Jordan Howden as a cap casualty would open up an additional $3.6 million, or, the Saints could also utilize some of that juicy future cap space to sign him to an extension to lower his cap number this season, as well.
A new era and clean slate are so close, you can almost smell it like the inviting aroma of beignets, coffee and chicory wafting through the French Quarter.
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Like any other team and any other situation, especially those with a young quarterback on an affordable contract, the fastest way to accelerate a rebuild is by hitting triples and home runs throughout the NFL Draft.
As head coach Kellen Moore’s second season approaches, the Saints would be wise to replenish some of the offensive talent that is either about to walk out the door to create cap space or simply to raise Shough’s ceiling in the near-term future.
Thanks to the trade that sent receiver Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks, the Saints have two additional picks in their arsenal.
Here’s a look at the Saints’ full complement of draft picks this spring:
First Round, Pick No. 8
Second Round, Pick No. 42
Third Round, Pick No. 73
Fourth Round, Pick No. 132 (via Seattle Seahawks)
Fourth Round, Pick No. 136
Fifth Round, Pick No. 148
Fifth Round, Pick No. 170 (via Seattle Seahawks
Sixth Round, Pick No. 189
Sign WR Chris Olave to a long-term contract extension
This offseason is about walking the tightrope between taking one final dose of medicine to emerge from what has perpetually been the worst salary cap situation in the sport and assembling the talent around Shough necessary to make some tangible progress on the field.
Signing wide receiver Chris Olave, eligible for a contract extension for the first time, to a long-term deal is the kind of move that checks both boxes.
Olave, 25, is coming off the most prolific season of his career, catching 100 balls for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns, clearly forging a strong chemistry with Shough as all three of his 100-plus yard performances came after the rookie took over as the starting quarterback.
Set to count approximately $15.4 million against the cap this season, the Saints can dramatically lower the game-breaking receiver’s cap number by moving a substantial amount of that money into their abundant cap space over the next several seasons without it barely making a dent in their future plans.
Draft WR Makai Lemon at No. 8 overall
In order to truly evaluate Shough and set the offense up for success in the years ahead, the Saints need to add another game-breaking receiver opposite Olave.
Two years ago, the Philadelphia Eagles proved the value of having a pair of prolific pass catchers, as did the Seahawks with Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp.
Pairing Lemon, who, according to Pro Football Focus, only dropped 2.5 percent of his passes last season at USC while garnering an 81.3 PFF grade against single coverage (which he’d likely see a lot of on the other side of Olave) could be the foundation for an explosive aerial attack taking flight in New Orleans for years to come.
Sign Anrold Ebiketie to a prove-it type deal
In a loaded pass-rusher market, Arnold Ebiketie is flying just beneath the radar, and might provide the most upside of any of the available rushers expected to cash in this March.
Ebiketie was buried on the depth chart in Atlanta this past season.
After the arrivals of James Pearce and Jalon Walker, the former Penn State standout produced just two sacks in 2025, but had matching six-sack campaigns in 2023 and 2024.
While the top of the market is likely to break the bank, with Trey Hendrickson, Jaelan Phillips, Khalil Mack, Odafe Oweh, and K’Lavon Chaisson leading the charge, Ebiketie may be inclined to settle for a short-term contract, loaded with incentives, to set the stage for cashing in next offseason as one of the prizes of free agency if he has a stellar 2026 campaign.
New Orleans would benefit from the chance to kick the tires on a 27-year-old former second-round pick, with the cap space to lock him up to a lucrative long-term deal at midseason if he produces.
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