Updated March 10, 2026, 5:50 p.m. CT
How’s this for a reunion? The New Orleans Saints are replacing Demario Davis with his old backup Kaden Elliss on a three-year contract worth $33 million, including $23 million in guarantees. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport first reported the news, which was confirmed by NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. It’s a strong payday for the veteran linebacker after he had several productive years with the Atlanta Falcons. Elliss was drafted by the Saints in the seventh round of the 2019 draft, out of Idaho. He played really well in Atlanta’s 3-4 defense with three consecutive 100-tackle seasons, and projects as an easy fit in Brandon Staley’s similar scheme.
Elliss, who turns 31 in July, proved he could be a full-time starter in Atlanta after the Saints mostly asked him to play special teams and occasionally rush the quarterback. He was an ironman for the Falcons, starting each of the 51 games he appeared in the last three years and finishing 11th in snaps played among all NFL defenders last season (1,103). He’s already 30 but the years he spent on the bench in New Orleans early in his career mean he doesn’t have quite as much wear and tear on his body as other athletes his age.
Could Elliss make someone like Pete Werner expendable? Elliss has proven he can be an asset against the run (29 tackles for loss across three seasons with the Falcons) and the pass (20.5 career sacks, and a dozen passes defensed in Atlanta), and at this salary he’ll be expected to run in the starting lineup. Werner was inherited from Dennis Allen’s coaching staff and lost snaps last season to rookie fourth-round pick Danny Stutsman.
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