{"id":743829,"date":"2026-02-11T02:24:17","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T02:24:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/743829\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T02:24:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T02:24:17","slug":"offseason-outlook-new-orleans-saints","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/743829\/","title":{"rendered":"Offseason Outlook: New Orleans Saints"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although the Buccaneers and Panthers vied for the NFC South’s mandated playoff spot, the Saints finished with more momentum than anyone in the eternally mediocre division. After spinning their wheels for two years post-Drew Brees and then predicably hitting a bloop single with Derek Carr<\/a>, the Saints saw Tyler Shough<\/a> show considerable promise after being inserted into the starting lineup around midseason.<\/p>\n

New Orleans’ midwinter cap situation is also in better shape than it has been in ages. The franchise is, gasp, nearly under the projected 2026 salary ceiling. This is a team that has been more than $100MM over a projected cap this decade, with the team carrying by far the NFL’s worst cap situation at this point last year. More medicine is coming via the Carr dead money penalty, but New Orleans may be on the verge of turning a corner after winning four of its final five games.<\/p>\n

Another offseason of transition is on tap, with a few Sean Payton-era holdovers either out of contract or representing dead money. But the Saints’ finish to the season injects some life into what has been a lower-middle-class NFL staple for most of this decade.<\/p>\n

Coaching\/front office:<\/p>\n


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