Jets To Bring Back LB Demario Davis
Celebrating his 37th birthday earlier this year, Demario Davis has still managed to score a nice payday. The longtime Saints standout is returning to where his career began.
The Jets are reuniting with Davis, with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reporting the All-Pro linebacker agreed on a two-year deal worth $22MM on Monday. Davis will receive $15MM fully guaranteed. In addition to bringing Davis back to the Big Apple, the 15th-year linebacker will reunite with Aaron Glenn — a former Saints assistant.
Davis drew a Jets connection before free agency, as did ex-Glenn Saints charge Alex Anzalone. The latter has committed to the Buccaneers, so the Jets will inject considerable experience into their linebacking corps with Davis. The team has steadily chipped away at Joe Douglas’ LB corps, moving on from C.J. Mosley and not extending Quincy Williams (who hit free agency today). Davis will complement $15MM-per-year ‘backer Jamien Sherwood next season.
Spending eight seasons with the Saints, Davis has been one of the most reliable players at any position. The off-ball linebacker is a blitzing dynamo (45 career sacks; 31.5 in New Orleans) who almost never misses time. Davis, who soared to five All-Pro teams during his Saints run, has not played in fewer than 16 games in a season. He has missed just two games in 14 years, giving the Jets hope he can sustain his late-career form.
The Jets drafted Davis in the 2012 third round, selecting him during Rex Ryan‘s time as HC. Davis played out his rookie deal but returned to New York in 2017, being traded from the Browns back to the Jets. The Saints swooped in on the 2018 FA market and found a steal. A franchise known for linebacker icons found another in Davis, who played at least 97% of New Orleans’ defensive snaps in every 2020s season.
Pro Football Focus has ranked Davis as a top-10 off-ball linebacker in six of the past seven seasons, slotting him fifth even at age 36. By starting games in an age-37 season, Demario Davis will become the NFL’s oldest off-ball LB starter since London Fletcher worked as a 38-year-old starter in 2013. As Glenn aims to avoid being a two-and-done HC, the former Saints assistant will bring in a player he trusts to help the cause.
Saints Rumors: Taylor, Jordan, Davis, Rattler, Carr, Kamara
Although Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor drew considerable interest in the run-up to last season’s trade deadline, New Orleans kept the 2022 second-rounder in the fold, which suggested he may be a candidate for a second contract with the club. However, it appears Taylor will be playing elsewhere next season.
ESPN’s Katherine Terrell recently reported that the Saints expect Taylor, who just finished his rookie deal, to test the open market. Several days later, the player himself published a post on X that reads, “New Orleans – thank you for letting me shine in ‘The Big Easy.’”
That certainly sounds like Taylor has played his last snap for the Saints, who will need to address the nickel corner position in free agency or the draft. Terrell expects the 27-year-old to have a strong market thanks to an impressive platform campaign in which he boasted 1.0 yards per coverage snap and -1.4 EPA allowed. Terrell wonders if that performance is sustainable in light of Taylor’s less impressive prior body of work, but it appears as if that will be another team’s concern.
New Orleans did meet with Taylor’s camp at the combine, along with reps for fellow pending free agents Demario Davis and Cameron Jordan. Like Taylor, Jordan will hit the open market for the first time in his career, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Now entering his age-37 season, Jordan is the Saints’ franchise leader in games played (243). The New Orleans stalwart and 2010s All-Decade Team member turned back the clock in 2025 by posting 10.5 sacks, reaching double-digits for the first time in that department since 2021. The defensive end is therefore sure to draw outside interest, and he is reportedly open to leaving Louisiana. With nearly $150MM in career earnings but no Super Bowl ring to his name, it would be fair to expect a club that profiles as a more obvious championship contender than the Saints to pique Jordan’s interest (although it does not sound as if the door to a 16th season with New Orleans is entirely closed).
Davis is also going into his age-37 season, and as Terrell notes, he has not offered any public remarks as to whether he would like to stay with the Saints or sign with another team. New Orleans wants to retain the two-time Pro Bowler, who just set a career-high with 143 tackles in 2025 (which marked the ninth straight season in which the durable linebacker recorded over 100 stops). The Jets are said to be interested in a reunion with their 2012 draftee.
Second-year quarterback Tyler Shough flashed enough in his rookie year to make the Saints believe he can be the long-awaited heir to Drew Brees, and that makes 2024 fifth-rounder Spencer Rattler a trade candidate. The Jets were also mentioned as a possible Rattler suitor, but Terrell says New Orleans has not yet received any calls on the 14-game starter. Ditto Derek Carr, who is amenable to coming out of retirement if the right opportunity presents itself.
Carr, who will turn 35 later this month, is still under Saints control, so a trade would need to be worked out if he is to continue his playing career. We recently heard there is a tepid market for his services, though, and Terrell confirms that – at least as of the end of this year’s scouting combine – the Saints had not heard from other teams or even from Carr’s own representation. Terrell says it would cost somewhere in the range of a third- to fifth-round pick to acquire Carr.
Now that they have their starting QB in place, Terrell says the Saints hope to focus on a rushing attack that was among the league’s least productive in 2025. New Orleans finished with the fifth-fewest rushing yards in the league last year, as RB1 Alvin Kamara generally underwhelmed over the first 11 games of the season and then missed the final six contests due to an MCL sprain. As we get closer to the draft, Terrell expects to see increased speculation connecting Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love to New Orleans and its No. 8 overall pick.
Known for their bloated salary cap figures that require offseason gymnastics to get into cap compliance, the Saints did not have nearly as much work to do this year. As Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reported, the Saints restructured the contracts of DE Chase Young, S Justin Reid, and TE Juwan Johnson. OverTheCap.com indicates the club presently has about $20MM of cap room, some of which could be earmarked for the offensive line. Terrell expects the Saints to prioritize their front five along with a running back addition, and head coach Kellen Moore specifically highlighted the left guard spot as an area of need. There are a number of free agent options (Isaac Seumalo and Zion Johnson, for instance) who could fit the bill.
The Saints also restructured Kamara’s deal, per Underhill, but it was not the standard salary-to-signing bonus restructure they employed for Young, Reid, and Johnson. Instead, as Underhill details, New Orleans used the collective bargaining agreement’s so-called “50% rule” to their advantage.
When the salary a player is due to earn a year from now is less than 50% of what he is due to earn in the present season, his team can convert his salary into a non-guaranteed signing bonus that can be prorated over future years for cap relief purposes. In other words, if Kamara is released, the Saints would still realize the benefits of the restructure, which would not be the case in a standard reworking whereby salary is converted into a guaranteed signing bonus. Because of that, Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network suggested the Kamara situation is one to monitor (implying, presumably, that a release is on the table, although such a move would obviously leave the club even more shorthanded at the running back position).
We finish this lengthy roundup of Saints news by passing along a team announcement that Will Clapp has been added to the coaching staff as an offensive assistant. New Orleans selected Clapp in the seventh round of the 2018 draft, and he suited up for 66 games (22 starts) over a seven-year playing career that also included stops with the Chargers and Bills. He announced his retirement last month, and it was speculated at the time that he could be joining the New Orleans staff.
Jets Notes: Draft, McDonald, Cook, Cross, Vera-Tucker, Simpson, Davis
Trading former first-round pick Jermaine Johnson to the Titans, the Jets look to have opened the door to selecting another edge rusher with the No. 2 overall pick. As PFR’s Adam La Rose indicated when the team shipped Johnson to Nashville for T’Vondre Sweat, the trade could certainly telegraph the Jets’ draft plans.
With the Raiders almost certain to draft Fernando Mendoza first overall, the Jets are expected to have their pick of edge rushers. Arvell Reese and David Bailey look to be the top candidates for that slot, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini notes. Reese has played on and the ball as a standout Ohio State linebacker, but he looks to want a shot on the edge to start his NFL career.
The Jets will still be considered likely to exercise Will McDonald‘s fifth-year option ($14.48MM), but the Joe Douglas-era investment looks on the verge of teaming with a big-ticket rookie draftee. That would make three first-round edge defenders in five drafts for New York, which selected Johnson in 2022 and McDonald in ’23.
The Jets have lost Johnson, Quinnen Williams, Haason Reddick, John Franklin-Myers and Bryce Huff from their D-line since the 2024 free agency period. With Micheal Clemons on track for free agency, McDonald is the last man standing here. The Jets are believed to be interested in unloading more Douglas-era pieces, and two more figure to be on the move next week.
Both Alijah Vera-Tucker and John Simpson are expected to depart in free agency, Essentiallysports.com’s Tony Pauline adds. That will create glaring Gang Green guard needs. It should not be considered a certainty both leave, though, as Cimini counters by saying the Jets will keep in touch with both blockers. Both interior linemen are, however, expected to at least test the market next week.
Vera-Tucker’s market would be booming had he not missed all of last season — with his third major injury since entering the NFL in 2021 — with a triceps tear. Simpson started two seasons at left guard in New York, not missing a game during that span. Simpson will be heading into an age-29 season, while Vera-Tucker will turn 27 in June.
This Jets regime will be looking to add replacements across the roster, holding more than $74MM in cap space. They have Tony Adams and 2025 UFA addition Andre Cisco bound for the market, and Cimini adds that Bryan Cook and Nick Cross are two safeties the team is believed to have its eye on.
Cook worked as a four-year Chiefs starter, starting every Kansas City game over the past two seasons. The former Super Bowl starter ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 4 overall safety in 2025. A two-year Colts starter, Cross has been incredibly productive since being inserted into Indianapolis’ lineup. He has combined for 266 tackles (11 for loss) over the past two seasons, also not missing a game in that span. The Colts, who transition-tagged Daniel Jones today and have four DBs tied to eight-figure-per-year salaries, are likely to let Cross walk next week.
Minkah Fitzpatrick also looms as a name to monitor, per Cimini, who reminds new DC Brian Duker coached the recent Dolphins reacquisition as Miami’s defensive pass-game coordinator last season. One year remains on Fitzpatrick’s Steelers-designed/Dolphins-adjusted pact, which Miami’s new regime is believed to be trying to trade. The Jets are also believed to be eyeing edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad — who played for Aaron Glenn in Detroit in 2024 — and Cimini confirms a recent report that tied the team to ex-Glenn Lions LB pupil Alex Anzalone.
An interesting reunion may be in the Jets’ plans as well. Demario Davis is back on the team’s radar, Pauline adds. The Jets are believed to be targeting the 14-year veteran — originally a Jets draftee back in 2012 — ahead of his age-37 season. Davis, who already logged two Jets stints (2012-15, 2017), has become one of the league’s best off-ball LBs since relocating to New Orleans. Glenn was on the Saints’ staff for three of Davis’ eight New Orleans seasons.
The prolific Saints tackler has racked up five All-Pro nods (four second-team placements) as a Saint. The Jets gave Jamien Sherwood a three-year, $45MM deal to stay but are almost certain to lose Quincy Williams — a Robert Saleh-Jeff Ulbrich All-Pro piece who drew trade buzz before the deadline — in free agency.
Closing out this Jets rundown, the team’s aging kicker — Nick Folk — is not looking to retire just yet. The 41-year-old kicker, who joins Davis in being a two-stint Jet, is aiming to play at 42 in 2026, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero adds. Despite his advancing age, the 2007 UDFA has led the NFL in accuracy in each of the past three seasons. This included a 96.6% make rate in 2025, when Folk made 7 of 8 tries from beyond 50 yards.
Saints LB Demario Davis Intends To Play Year 15
Ahead of this weekend’s season finale, veteran Saints linebacker Demario Davis made it known that the team’s trip to Atlanta will not be his last game in an NFL uniform. According to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, Davis told the media that he intends to return for his 15th NFL season. 
Davis is just wrapping up his 14th year in the league and his eighth in New Orleans. Since joining the Saints — to be more accurate, since his 2017 campaign that led to him signing with the Saints — Davis has routinely ranked amongst the NFL’s best middle linebackers. Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), he ranked as the 17th-best player at his position in 2017 and didn’t rank any lower than that until last year, when he graded out as the 19th-best linebacker in the league. He continued to excel in 2025 and currently ranks as the NFL’s sixth-best linebacker, in the eyes of PFF.
Davis has also been somewhat of an ironman in the NFL, never missing more than one game in any season of his career. As a third-round rookie out of Arkansas State, Davis only made three starts but played in every game of his first season in the league. Since then, out of a possible 212 games, Davis has been a starter in 209 and played in 210. Davis credited a lot of new developments in the culture surrounding the game of football for his ability to play this long and remain this healthy in his NFL career.
More important to him than his strict availability, as shown by his consistent PFF grades, is his continued ability to play at a high level. Because he was able to meet benchmarks he set for himself — which were just his prior year stats — he was able to decide that he would play another year and said it was probably the earliest point in a season in recent years that he’s known he wanted to continue to play.
“I’m not trying to plateau. I’m not trying to break even. I’m not trying to peak,” he told reporters today, per ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. “I’m just trying to get better, and like, when I’m getting better, it’s like an indicator that I’m on the right track. And so, because I’ve done that, I think that gives me a lot of confidence that I’m looking forward to returning.”
As for whether or not he will still be wearing a Saints uniform in Year 15, Davis said he knows there’s a time and place for the business aspect of things. The five-time All-Pro, who turns 37 in 10 days, is set to become a free agent in the offseason.
“I don’t think in terms of the business element before the business element presents itself,” Davis said. “We’re in a game where contracts do matter, but that’s such a small part of your career. That happens in a little small window in the offseason once every other year or every couple of years. And when that time gets here, man, in 14 years, that’s always worked itself out.”
He continued, “I’ve never had to really negotiate a contract. They’ve always negotiated themselves. And so, when that time gets here, that’s like very low concern meter right now. What I’m focused on is finishing the season strong, kind of putting an exclamation point on what has been an individual and a collective good season for the defense and the team.”
He ended his comments by noting “good reason for optimism” for the Saints’ future, as rookie quarterback Tyler Shough aims to end the season on a five-game winning streak. He may see a strong Year 2 for the young passer coming, but Year 15 will be his focus after this week.
Saints’ Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis Viewed As Trade Candidates
The Saints sit at 1-6 on the year after yesterday’s loss. That should point the team further in the direction of a seller’s position in advance of the trade deadline.
A number of New Orleans players have been named as ones to watch on the trade front. The likes of running back Alvin Kamara and receiver Chris Olave hope to stay in place, but other moves could be made shortly. One or more of the franchise’s most well-known defenders could find themselves changing teams in the near future.
Sources contacted by CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones “could see” Cameron Jordan and/or Demario Davis being traded prior to the deadline. Other defensive ends (such as Carl Granderson) and linebackers (including Pete Werner) are known to be on the radar of interested teams. Those positions could see changes shortly as a result, although it would certainly come as a surprise to see either of Jordan or Davis playing elsewhere to close out their decorated careers.
Jordan has spent his entire NFL tenure in New Orleans, and he is the franchise’s all-time leader in games played. The eight-time Pro Bowler remained with the Saints this offseason on a restructured deal. His base salary for 2025 is just $1.26MM as a result, although the inclusion of void years would lead to dead money hits for the team in the event of a trade (or the lack of a re-signing prior to the new league year, for that matter). Jordan, 36, has posted 2.5 sacks this season while logging a 66% snap share.
Davis began his career with the Jets and Browns before arriving in New Orleans in 2018. Since then, he has established himself as one of the league’s best defensive players and recorded a first- or second-team All-Pro nod during a run of five straight years. Davis has recorded triple-digit tackles every season since 2017 and he is comfortably on track to do so again in 2025. The 36-year-old is attached to a $6.5MM base salary for this season, and he too is a pending free agent.
Jones adds, to no surprise, any trade involving Jordan or Davis would see them moved to a contending team. He names the 49ers as a logical landing spot in both cases based on the injuries suffered by Nick Bosa and Fred Warner. San Francisco has not been linked to any of New Orleans’ trade chips, but it will be interesting to see if that happens between now and November 4.
Saints Rework S Tyrann Mathieu’s Deal, Complete Host Of Restructures
Joining his hometown team in 2022, Tyrann Mathieu will play a fourth season with the team. He has agreed to reworked contract, NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill reports. The veteran safety will be tied to a one-year, $7.2MM deal that includes incentives, Underhill adds.
The Saints are reducing Mathieu’s 2025 base salary from $6.25MM to $3.5MM, Underhill indicates. Incentives could allow the 13th-year veteran to make money back. If Mathieu plays at least 50% of the Saints’ defensive snaps next season, he will see that base climb to $4MM. Escalators between $4.5MM and $7.25MM are in place as well, Underhill adds. If Mathieu hits a 90% snap share in 2025, he would make more than he would have previously. This move will lower Mathieu’s $11.3MM 2025 cap number.
Mathieu, 32, stands to have a good chance to make money back. He has played at least 86% of the Saints’ defensive snaps in each of his three seasons with the club. He played 100% of them in 2022 and 99% in ’23. The former All-Pro’s contract is still on track to void after the 2025 season.
Mathieu’s agreement follows another batch of Saints restructures, which are commonplace as the team continues its brand of cap manipulation. New Orleans has also adjusted the deals of Cesar Ruiz, Carl Granderson and Khalen Saunders, according to OverTheCap’s Jason Fitzgerald, who adds the trio of restructures saves the Saints $13.7MM in cap space.
New Orleans has also restructured the contracts of Pete Werner and Demario Davis, per NewOrleans.football’s Mike Triplett and ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell. Werner’s adjustment will create an additional $2.5MM in space. These moves also come after Ryan Ramczyk‘s restructure, a move that saved $16MM and likely will precede retirement.
The team is also expected to restructure Erik McCoy‘s deal, Underhill notes. A move that frees up $6.69MM in cap space is anticipated for McCoy, who is signed through 2027. As for Mathieu, it looks like his deal will be pushed through the 2026 season. His 2024 agreement tied him to the Saints through 2025, though customary void years were already present in the deal.
The Saints had resided more than $45MM over the cap recently, but they have completed more arduous journeys to reach cap compliance. Teams have until 3pm CT Wednesday — when the 2025 league year officially starts — move under the cap. OverTheCap presently lists the Saints as making another successful journey, placing them at just more than $20MM in cap room. They just take strange routes to get there.
Carr’s adjustment set to make a 2026 separation much more difficult, as $59.67MM in dead money (which would presumably be spread over two years via a post-June 1 release designation) will come in the event the middling QB is cut next year. The Saints are keeping Carr for 2025; the restructure ensures that. Questions about the Mickey Loomis operation’s increasingly complex blueprint will persist, as the Saints have not come close to escaping the NFL’s middle class since Drew Brees‘ retirement. It appears a similar plan will be in place for 2025. While hiring Kellen Moore represents a significant change, he will be working with a similar roster plan to the past few Saints efforts.
NFC Injury Updates: Eagles, Davis, Lewis, Carlson
The Eagles are going to be forced to make a long-term switch on special teams after punt returner Britain Covey told reporters yesterday that he suffered a broken scapula. According to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team, Covey is likely to miss around six weeks recovering from the injury.
Covey hasn’t had too many return opportunities this season. The team as a whole has only returned two punts this season, with Covey logging only one of those for nine yards. The only other return came from second-round rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean, who gained six yards on a return last week in New Orleans as he stepped in after Covey’s injury. DeJean has played sparsely on defense so far this year, but it looks like his impact on special teams will be taken to the next level over the next several weeks.
Covey’s presence will also be missed on offense, where he’s third in the receivers room in receptions and yards this year. With Covey joining Ainias Smith and Jacob Harris on injured reserve, that leaves four receivers on the active roster. DeVonta Smith is set miss the team’s next contest with a concussion, so Jahan Dotson, Parris Campbell, and rookie Johnny Wilson will be asked to step up alongside A.J. Brown.
Here are a few other injury updates from around the NFC:
- Saints linebacker Demario Davis is playing in his 13th NFL season. This weekend, the veteran defender will miss the first game of his career due to injury. Davis had one absence back in 2021 due to COVID-19, but Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports that a hamstring injury will keep Davis from playing for the first time in his long career.
- On Wednesday, we reported an elbow injury for Panthers starting left guard Damien Lewis. Initial reports predicted at least a one-game absence, but the veteran guard will endeavor to not miss any time. Per Joe Person of The Athletic, Lewis suffered a UCL tear in his left elbow. If he were a left-handed quarterback, Lewis would require surgery, but there’s a chance Carolina doesn’t see any missed time from their lineman, who will try to play through the injury.
- Tight end Stephen Carlson‘s stint on the Bears‘ active roster was a short one. After being promoted from the practice squad three days ago, Carlson suffered a significant collarbone injury on the last play of practice yesterday, according to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. Cronin predicts that an IR-stint is in Carlson’s future.
NFC South Notes: Cousins, Falcons, Ramczyk, Saints, Davis, Evans, Panthers
The Falcons are under investigation for tampering during their Kirk Cousins pursuit. Cousins said during his Falcons intro presser he spoke with the team’s trainer ahead of his official signing, which would be a violation. Cousins may well have revealed another tampering violation, indicating (via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio) he offered to call Darnell Mooney to help close the Falcons’ pitch to the former Bears wide receiver. Mooney committed to the Falcons on Day 2 of the tampering period. With Cousins’ deal not yet official at that point, such recruitment on behalf of the team would be a violation as well.
None of this will result in the Falcons losing Cousins, but a fine and/or a draft choice being stripped would be in play if the team is found to have violated the tampering policy (albeit during a stretch referred to as the legal tampering period). Given the multiple issues here, the Falcons certainly run the risk of being punished.
Here is the latest from the NFC South:
- In a division with two of the league’s restructure mavens, the Panthers are hoping to avoid such moves under new GM Dan Morgan. The former Carolina assistant GM said (via The Athletic’s Joe Person) he will aim to avoid kicking the can down the road in the form of restructures. Teams have turned to restructures more in the 2020s, as the larger cap spikes have helped clubs manage the bigger cap hits down the road, but both the Buccaneers and Saints have needed to take some medicine at points this decade due to restructures.
- Having said that, the Panthers did reach a restructure agreement with Shaq Thompson to both create cap space and retain their longest-tenured player. This will reduce the 10th-year linebacker’s base salary to $3.1MM and clear around $3MM in cap space, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. Headed into his age-30 season, Thompson is coming off a two-game campaign halted by a fractured fibula. He is now on the Panthers’ cap sheet at $3.19MM.
- Ryan Ramczyk finished last season on IR due to a knee injury that he admitted bothered him for nearly the entire season. A cartilage defect in his knee also brought some ominous comments from the standout right tackle, but he is on track to play an eighth season with the Saints. Ramczyk underwent what Dennis Allen (via NOLA.com’s Matthew Paras) labeled a minor knee procedure; he is expected to be ready for training camp. Additionally, Ramczyk agreed to a reworked contract that guarantees him $6.5MM this season, ESPN’s Field Yates tweets. Ramcyzk’s 2021 extension previously had no guarantees left, but it called for a $27MM 2024 cap number. This reworking brought that down to $12.9MM, and NewOrleans.football’s Mike Triplett refers to it as a significant pay cut. Ramczyk is signed through 2026, but no guarantees are due beyond 2024.
- The Saints also brought James Hurst‘s cap number down from $6.5MM to $2.9MM, NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill tweets. Two void years are present in Hurst’s deal, but the veteran O-lineman, who has been needed to start over the past three seasons, is due for free agency in 2025.
- New Orleans’ latest Demario Davis contract (two years, $17.25MM) will bring $13.25MM in guarantees, ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell tweets. The team is guaranteeing $2.5MM of Davis’ $6.5MM 2025 base salary, with Terrell adding a $1.75MM roster bonus will be due next year. That roster bonus will be key in determining if Davis plays the 2025 season in New Orleans; the new deal dropped Davis’ 2024 cap hit from $18.1MM to $6.2MM.
- Not quite as prolific as the Saints on the restructure front, the Buccaneers have been aggressive here since the Tom Brady signing. Tampa Bay has already restructured Mike Evans‘ deal, per MLFootball, with his $21.8MM roster bonus into a signing bonus. This freed up $17.4MM in cap space, which the Bucs put to good use as they re-signed Baker Mayfield and Lavonte David following the application of Antoine Winfield Jr.‘s franchise tag.
- The Panthers‘ Dane Jackson contract is for two years and worth $8.5MM in base value, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. While this NFL period has featured Carolina-to-Buffalo moves, the veteran cornerback will make the reverse trip and do so for $5.12MM guaranteed. The guarantees cover $1MM of Jackson’s 2025 base salary ($3.74MM).
Saints To Extend LB Demario Davis
Demario Davis was already on the books for 2024, but the lack of guaranteed money on his deal led to uncertainty regarding his future. The All-Pro linebacker will remain with the Saints, however, having agreed to a new deal. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the sides have worked out an agreement on a two-year, $17.25MM contract.
In Saints fashion, this agreement will create cap space. Davis had been tied to an $18.2MM cap hit in his contract year; this pact will reduce that and help a perpetually cap-strapped New Orleans operation. Going into today’s legal tampering period, the Saints resided $10MM-plus over the cap.
This will also give Davis more security in the form of guarantees; the veteran linebacker had been tied to a nonguaranteed 2024 salary worth $10MM. Davis has been one of the Saints’ top players for many years, and the 35-year-old defender will be set for a seventh season in Louisiana.
Davis has continually showcased a versatile skillset, being one of the best blitzing ‘backers in this era. The former Jets and Browns starter, despite being an off-ball presence, is coming off back-to-back 6.5-sack seasons. As Cameron Jordan has moved into his mid-30s and Payton Turner having not delivered on a first-round investment, Davis’ sack production has been important for a Saints team still trying to find its footing post-Drew Brees.
A marvel in IDP fantasy leagues, Davis paired 121 tackles and six pass breakups with those 6.5 sacks last season. The durable defender has posted 100-tackle seasons in each of his six Saints slates, adding 29.5 sacks during his New Orleans run. While Davis is nearing the end of an impressive career, the Saints will keep him around for at least one more season. A reassessment after this age-35 season seems likely, even as Davis has continued to deliver upper-crust work into his mid-30s.
NFL Restructures: Saints, Corbett, Grant, Eagles
The Saints restructured two contracts yesterday in an effort towards salary cap compliance, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. Both linebacker Demario Davis and tight end Taysom Hill have agreed to the new arrangements to lower their cap hit next season.
Davis is under contract through the 2025 season, Hill through 2026. Davis had another stellar season for the Saints in 2022. Since joining the team in 2018, he’s missed one game and been a first- or second-team All-Pro in every season but his first in New Orleans. The team converted $7.09MM of base salary for the 34-year-old’s 2023 season into a signing bonus, clearing $5.67MM in cap space off of his contract. He now holds a cap hit next year of $7.61MM with a base salary of $1.17MM.
Hill had another productive year as a Swiss-army weapon for New Orleans. The quarterback/tight end continued to show a much larger impact rushing than receiving but steeply declined in his passing numbers this year. The team converted $8.82MM of base salary for the 32-year-old’s 2023 season into a signing bonus, clearing $7.06MM in cap space off of his contract. He now holds a cap hit next year of $6.87MM with a base salary of $1.08MM.
The team still has several avenues it can explore to create cap space. Defensive end Cameron Jordan ($25.7MM), cornerback Marshon Lattimore ($22.4MM), guard Andrus Peat ($18.3MM), running back Alvin Kamara ($16MM), and quarterback Jameis Winston ($15.6MM) all hold cap hits over $15MM that could likely be restructured.
Here are few other recent moves as teams strive towards cap compliance:
- After signing a three-year, $26.25MM contract a year ago, guard Austin Corbett has agreed to a restructured deal with the Panthers, according to Panthers staff writer Darin Gantt. Corbett contributed to a much-improved offensive line this season, starting all 17 games before suffering a torn ACL in the team’s last game of the year. The 28-year-old is working towards a return spending every day at the facility in recovery. Yates of ESPN reports that the team converted $7.72MM, consisting of his base salary and a $1MM roster bonus, into a signing bonus, freeing up $5.79MM in cap space. Corbert now holds a 2023 salary of $1.08MM and a cap hit of $5.16MM.
- Yates’s above report on Corbett also mentioned the Browns recent restructuring of wide receiver and return-specialist Jakeem Grant. Grant missed the 2022 season with a torn Achilles tendon after signing a three-year, $10MM contract in the offseason. The renegotiated deal for Grant reportedly reduces his cap hit by $1.77MM.
- Eagles center Jason Kelce is currently headed towards free agency or, potentially, retirement. Still, since Philadelphia has a habit of building voidable years into contracts in an effort to lessen the salary cap burden of deals, the team found it necessary to decrease that financial burden that Kelce’s expiring contract has on their future. According to yet another report by Yates, the Eagles paid Kelce a $3MM bonus yesterday, consisting of his $2.75MM 2023 roster bonus and $250,000 2023 offseason bonus, to reduce his 2023 cap hit. The move reportedly cleared up around $2.4MM of cap space for Philadelphia next season.