{"id":887534,"date":"2026-05-10T14:34:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T14:34:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/887534\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T14:34:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T14:34:18","slug":"saints-sign-christen-miller-salary-cap-space-outlook-for-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/887534\/","title":{"rendered":"Saints sign Christen Miller: Salary cap space, outlook for the future"},"content":{"rendered":"

No drama this time — on Saturday, the New Orleans Saints<\/a> announced a four-year deal with defensive tackle Christen Miller<\/a>, their second-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. That means the team’s entire eight-man draft class is now under contract. Because contract guarantees for second rounders have become a battleground between teams and agents in recent years, we’ve seen the Saints sign those players as early as May 31 and as late as July 19 (when rookies report for training camp). Miller’s contract came in weeks ahead of schedule, if not months.<\/p>\n

So now the big question we’re asking isn’t “when will the Saints sign Miller” but instead, “what does the Saints’ salary cap look like,” so let’s dive into it.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

After signing seven of their eight picks and restructuring their contract with linebacker Pete Werner<\/a>, Over The Cap estimated<\/a> the Saints were under the salary cap by about $9.07 million. OTC’s experts also estimate<\/a> that Miller’s 2026 salary cap hit will fall in around $2.16 million. Because only the 51 highest cap hits factor into the salary cap this time of the year, Miller signing will push a lower cap hit (wide receiver Mason Tipton<\/a>, at $1.07 million) beneath that threshold. The end result: a new salary cap space estimate of $7.98 million.<\/p>\n

That’s enough cap space to add a couple of minimum-salary contracts ahead of training camp, and to navigate roster moves in-season, but not much more. The Saints are still working on a long-term extension with star wide receiver Chris Olave<\/a> which could lower his 2026 cap hit ($15.49 million, leading the team). At the same time, these rookie deals factor into future years’ cap outlooks, too:<\/p>\n

2026: $7.98 million in cap space (with a $301.2 million salary cap)<\/p>\n

2027: $48.94 million in cap space (estimating a $327 million salary cap)<\/p>\n

2028: $194.95 million in cap space (estimating a $352 million salary cap)<\/p>\n

2029: $307.53 million in cap space (estimating a $378 million salary cap)<\/p>\n

If you think those future years look ridiculous, you’re right. That’s because the Saints just don’t have many players under contract past 2027 (with 55 players under contract). Many of their current deals will void out by 2028 (30 players under contract) and 2029 (20 players under contract). This is what rebuilding a team and turning over talent looks like. Extending Olave will cut into those future cap space estimates (expect his deal to clock in with annual cap hits, initially, at around $30 million per year). But the Saints are positioning themselves to be major players in free agency in 2027 and beyond. If Kellen Moore can lead them to more wins in 20226, he’ll have plenty of resources with which to build out his team.<\/p>\n

1 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

ATHENS, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 9: Christen Miller #52 of the Georgia Bulldogs reacts during the third quarter against the Ball State Cardinals at Sanford Stadium on September 9, 2023 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

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1 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

ATHENS, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 9: Christen Miller #52 of the Georgia Bulldogs reacts during the third quarter against the Ball State Cardinals at Sanford Stadium on September 9, 2023 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

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2 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

ATHENS, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 7: Christen Miller #52 of the Georgia Bulldogs tackles Jordyn Potts #5 of the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles during the first quarter at Sanford Stadium on September 7, 2024 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

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3 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

ATHENS, GEORGIA – AUGUST 30: Christen Miller #52 of the Georgia Bulldogs reacts during the first half against the Marshall Thundering Herd at Sanford Stadium on August 30, 2025 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

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4 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

ATHENS, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 27: Parker Brailsford #72 of the Alabama Crimson Tide blocks Christen Miller #52 of the Georgia Bulldogs during the first quarter at Sanford Stadium on September 27, 2025 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

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5 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

AUBURN, ALABAMA – OCTOBER 11: Jackson Arnold #11 of the Auburn Tigers rushes away from Christen Miller #52 of the Georgia Bulldogs during the second quarter at Jordan-Hare Stadium on October 11, 2025 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

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6 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – NOVEMBER 28: Ellis Robinson IV #1 of the Georgia Bulldogs reacts with Christen Miller #52 after an interception during the third quarter against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on November 28, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

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7 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – FEBRUARY 25: Christen Miller of the Georgia Bulldogs speaks to the media during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 25, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

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8 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – FEBRUARY 25: Christen Miller of the Georgia Bulldogs speaks to the media during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 25, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

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9 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

Jan 7, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Warren Brinson (97) reacts while interviewing defensive lineman Christen Miller (52) on media day before the 2023 CFP National Championship game at Los Angeles Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n

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10 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

Jan 7, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Warren Brinson (97) reacts while interviewing defensive lineman Christen Miller (52) on media day before the 2023 CFP National Championship game at Los Angeles Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n

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11 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

Jan 9, 2023; Inglewood, CA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Christen Miller (52) against the TCU Horned Frogs during the CFP national championship game at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n

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12 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

Jan 9, 2023; Inglewood, CA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Christen Miller (52) and wide receiver Ladd McConkey (84) celebrate after the Bulldogs defeated the TCU Horned Frogs in the CFP national championship game at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n

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13 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

Jan 9, 2023; Inglewood, CA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Christen Miller (52) celebrates with teammates after the Bulldogs defeated the TCU Horned Frogs in the CFP national championship game at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n

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14 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

Georgia defensive lineman Christen Miller (52) at the first day fall football camp in Athens, Ga., on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023.<\/p>\n

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15 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

Sep 9, 2023; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive back Daylen Everette (6) and defensive lineman Christen Miller (52) tackle Ball State Cardinals running back Marquez Cooper (15) during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n

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16 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

Sep 9, 2023; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Christen Miller (52) reacts after making a tackle against the Ball State Cardinals during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n

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17 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

Nov 11, 2023; Athens, Georgia, USA; A Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Christen Miller (52) tackles Mississippi Rebels running back Quinshon Judkins (4) during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n

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18 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

Dec 2, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Christen Miller (52) tackles Alabama Crimson Tide running back Jam Miller (26) in the first quarter of the SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n

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19 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

Georgia defensive lineman Christen Miller (52) arrives with the team before the start of the G-Day spring football game in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, April 13, 2024.<\/p>\n

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20 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

Clemson running back Phil Mafah (7) is stopped by Georgia defensive lineman Christen Miller (52) during the first half of the NCAA Aflac Kickoff Game against Clemson in Atlanta, on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.<\/p>\n

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21 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

Georgia defensive lineman Christen Miller (52) sacks Tennessee Tech quarterback Jordyn Potts (5) during the first half of a NCAA college football game against Tennessee Tech in Athens, on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024.<\/p>\n

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22 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

Sep 7, 2024; Athens, Georgia, USA; Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles wide receiver Jordan Yates (1) fumbles the ball in front of Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Christen Miller (52) during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

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23 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

Georgia defensive lineman Christen Miller (52) leaves the field with an injury during the first half of a NCAA college football game against Massachusetts in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024.<\/p>\n

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24 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints sign Christen Miller: Salary cap space, outlook for the future<\/p>\n

Georgia defensive lineman Christen Miller (52) at the first day of fall practice in Athens, Georgia, on Thursday, July 31, 2025.<\/p>\n

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25 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints second-round draft pick sidelined at rookie minicamp<\/p>\n

Georgia defensive lineman Christen Miller (52) at the first day of fall practice in Athens, Georgia, on Thursday, July 31, 2025.<\/p>\n

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26 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

Sep 6, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Christen Miller (52) runs on the field before a game against the Austin Peay Governors at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

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27 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

Sep 6, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Christen Miller (52) reacts after a defensive stop against the Austin Peay Governors in the fourth quarter at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

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28 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

Oct 18, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Christen Miller (52) is interviewed after the game against the Mississippi Rebels at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

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29 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

Nov 1, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Christen Miller (52) reacts after making a tackle against the Florida Gators at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Travis Register-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

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30 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

Nov 28, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets running back Chad Alexander (27) is tackled by Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Christen Miller (52) and safety Zion Branch (2) during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

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31 \/ 31<\/p>\n

Saints draft Christen Miller: See New Orleans’ second-round pick<\/p>\n

Nov 28, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets running back Chad Alexander (27) is tackled by Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Christen Miller (52) and safety Zion Branch (2) during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Updated Saints salary cap space after signing rookie Christen Miller<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"No drama this time — on Saturday, the New Orleans Saints announced a four-year deal with defensive tackle…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":887535,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2076],"tags":[6000,32199,44302,7,9272,896,55,2572,2571,6,13193,397,7238],"class_list":["post-887534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-orleans-saints","tag-chris-olave","tag-christen-miller","tag-contract-guarantees","tag-football","tag-mason-tipton","tag-new-orleans","tag-new-orleans-saints","tag-neworleans","tag-neworleanssaints","tag-nfl","tag-pete-werner","tag-saints","tag-salary-cap"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116550783699808774","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/887534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=887534"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/887534\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/887535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=887534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=887534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=887534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}