HEADLINES

New Orleans Saints News & Rumors

Saints’ Tyler Shough Wants Fully Guaranteed Deal, Delaying Second-Round Signings

June 19th, 2025 at 10:01pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Several second-round picks from the 2025 NFL Draft remain unsigned as they seek fully guaranteed rookie contracts, according to Joel Corry of CBS Sports.

Back in May, the Texans gave No. 34 pick Jayden Higgins a fully guaranteed deal, the first of its kind for a second-round pick. In past years, the first few picks of the second round have received three years of fully-guaranteed money with increasing fourth-year guarantees after each draft. The Texans’ move put pressure on the Browns to do the same with No. 33 pick Carson Schwesinger, which they did the next day.

With this new precedent, Saints second-round quarterback Tyler Shough is demanding a fully-guaranteed rookie contract of his own, per Corry. That would be a sizable jump from 2024 No. 40 pick Cooper DeJean, who only received partial guarantees in his third year and none in his fourth, per OverTheCap. Shough was taken with pick No. 40, six spots after Higgins, but the recent retirement of Derek Carr has positioned him as the Saints’ starting quarterback, giving him some extra leverage in negotiations.

Knowing that, the players drafted between Higgins and Shough are waiting to sign with their teams. If Shough can get a fully guaranteed contract from the Saints, every player selected before him will have an argument to receive the same deal. However, their teams will argue that Shough’s situation – and quarterbacks in general – are unique when it comes to contract negotiations.

Players selected in the early 40s will also be “hoping to benefit from a trickle-down effect” from Shough’s negotiations, according to Corry. If he extracts a fully guaranteed deal, the next few picks will push for their first three years to be fully guaranteed and potentially ask for guarantees in the fourth year as well.

Traded Draft Picks For 2026

June 18th, 2025 at 10:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

Many months remain before teams know where they are picking in the 2026 draft, but many clubs have made moves to acquire 2026 draft capital. Headlined by the Browns and Rams’ efforts, here are the 2026 picks to have changed hands thus far. When more deals involving picks are made (or conditions on moves already completed become known), that information will be added.

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

NFL Minor Transactions: 6/18/25

June 18th, 2025 at 6:46pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s midweek minor transactions from across the NFL:

Denver Broncos

Kansas City Chiefs

New Orleans Saints

For the second year in a row, Denver is signing a player from the UFL. Last year, Dondrea Tillman contributed five sacks to the Broncos defense a couple months after finishing play with the Birmingham Stallions. Now the team dips back into Birmingham for Goodrich, who resorted to the UFL after spending the 2024 season away from the NFL. The Saints also dipped into the UFL today, taking Green off of the Arlington Renegades and Wesley off the Stallions.

After finally debuting in the NFL last year, despite getting drafted in 2022, Araiza was selected as a Pro Bowl alternate and played in the Super Bowl. Kansas City essentially assured that he would be around in 2025 when they tender him as an exclusive rights free agent, but with Araiza’s signature today, the transaction in complete.

Saints To Sign RB Cam Akers

June 13th, 2025 at 5:09pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Saints are signing running back Cam Akers after a successful tryout at mandatory minicamp this week, according to The Athletic’s Diana Russini.

The five-year veteran was a Rams second-round pick in 2020, but didn’t quite live up to his draft billing. He reportedly requested a trade in 2022, but remained in Los Angeles until he was dealt to the Vikings a year later. An Achilles injury limited his 2023 contributions in Minnesota, and Akers became a free agent when his rookie contract expired after the season.

Akers signed with the Texans last offseason and played a tertiary role in the backfield across the first third of the season. He was then traded back to the Texans in October, where he had a similar snap share and added some value on special teams.

In New Orleans, Akers will join a Saints running back room that is currently headlined by Alvin Kamara. 2023 third-rounder Kendre Miller will be looking to carve out a RB2 role with a number of ballcarriers vying for additional snaps. That group includes two former Day 2 picks (Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Velus Jones) and two rookies (Devin Neal and Marcus Yarns), giving Akers no shortage of competition on his new team.

Akers expressed appreciation for his opportunity to try out with the Saints during minicamp, per Rod Walker of NOLA.com, saying “I’m still hungry and I’m young. I’ve got a lot of tread on my tires, and I want to rewrite my story personally.”

Cam Akers, Shane Lemieux Participating At Saints’ Minicamp

June 11th, 2025 at 1:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

The rare player to be traded to the same team twice, Cam Akers has not re-signed with the Vikings. The veteran running back, who has returned from two Achilles tears, remains a free agent. But he has secured an extended audition.

Teams can bring free agents to minicamp, and NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill notes the Saints are observing Akers at theirs this week. The former Rams second-round pick spent time with the Texans and Vikings last year. Shane Lemieux joins him at Kellen Moore‘s first Saints minicamp, per NewOrleans.football’s Mike Triplett. Lemieux played for the Saints in 2024.

Not only has Akers gone to Minnesota twice via trade, he has done so in-season in consecutive years. The Rams ended a decaying partnership by sending Akers to the Vikings, where he reunited with ex-Los Angeles OC Kevin O’Connell, in September 2023. As the Vikings were aiming to upgrade on Ty Chandler behind Aaron Jones, they landed Akers from the Texans in a mid-October pick swap. Akers, 26 this month, has not been closely connected to a team since his one-year, $1.18MM Houston-designed deal expired.

Despite suffering an Achilles tear during his first Vikings season, Akers impressed in the building and returned to play 17 games between his Houston and Minnesota stays in 2024. He gained 444 rushing yards (4.3 per carry), filling in for Joe Mixon as a Texans starter and becoming Jones’ top backup following the trade. Akers also overcame a 2021 Achilles tear, returning in Week 18 of the Rams’ 2021 Super Bowl-winning season despite going down in late July. Akers was ineffective upon return, however, and he later fell out of favor in L.A.

The Saints have Kendre Miller still positioned as Alvin Kamara‘s top backup, though the team did keep Clyde Edwards-Helaire on a futures deal before drafting Devin Neal in Round 6. Akers is nevertheless auditioning, as the Saints have been unable to find a reliable Kamara backup for a while. They released Jamaal Williams after an unproductive two-year stay and have not seen Miller stay healthy during that span.

Lemieux battled back from extensive injury trouble in New York, but injuries have crushed his earning power. Formerly a Giants starter as a rookie in 2020, Lemieux missed 32 games over the next two seasons. He then played only four games in 2023, leading to only a practice squad accord with the Saints. New Orleans brought him up from the P-squad in October and later used him as a four-game starter, but another IR stint did commence. Lemieux, 28, will attempt to impress the Saints’ new staff this week.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/9/25

June 9th, 2025 at 9:24pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are the latest minor moves from around the league:

Cleveland Browns

New Orleans Saints

Barton started two games at right tackle for the Cardinals in 2024, but ended the season on injured reserve. He will join a crowded OT room in Cleveland with Dawand Jones and Jack Conklin as the expected starters at left and right tackle, respectively.

WR Gabe Davis To Visit Saints

June 8th, 2025 at 9:40pm CST by Ely Allen

The Gabe Davis 2025 offseason tour continues. Since being released by the Jaguars a month ago, Davis has met with the 49ers, Giants, and Steelers. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Davis is now headed to New Orleans where he’ll meet with a Saints team that could certainly use a receiver of his makeup.

After impressive contributions for four years as a WR2 in Buffalo, Davis was rewarded in free agency with a three-year, $39MM contract with the Jaguars. Through 10 games with his new team, though, Davis was averaging a career-low 23.9 yards per game and was on track for the lowest touchdown total of his career, as well. His struggles deepened when a meniscus tear required him to undergo season-ending surgery, and Jacksonville cut bait two years early despite the massive dead money doing so stuck them with.

In New Orleans, the Saints fielded a bottom-10 pass offense in the NFL last season, and with Derek Carr‘s retirement, improving on that in 2025 won’t be easy. New Orleans will have three young, inexperienced quarterbacks battling it out for the right to lead the offense this season, so having an experienced receiving corps could be extremely beneficial for the winning quarterback’s chances for success.

In 2024, the team’s leader in receiving yards was tight end Juwan Johnson, followed closely by running back Alvin Kamara, tight end Foster Moreau, and only then a wide receiver. The next three leading receivers were Chris Olave, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Rashid Shaheed, and none of the three played more than half the season. This underlines the team’s need for a reliable receiver.

The Saints are currently headed into the season with Olave, Shaheed, and Brandin Cooks as their top three receivers. Beyond that is a mix of receivers who have shown inconsistent hints of talent in the past (Cedrick Wilson, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Dante Pettis) or have relatively little experience (Bub Means, Kevin Austin, Mason Tipton, Chris Tyree, and Moochie Dixon). Adding Davis would give New Orleans another receiver in the frame of Wilson or Peoples-Jones but with more deep ball ability and more consistent results.

Rapoport points out that, with approximately $11.5MM still due to Davis from Jacksonville, the 26-year-old will likely command only a one-year deal from his new team. Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football goes a step further in saying that “Davis will almost certainly get” the league minimum.

If that holds true, and Davis does not, in fact, force a bidding war between the teams he’s visited and remained in contact with, then Davis’ decision will likely come down to team fit. If the Saints decide that they want to bring Davis into the fold, they’ll likely need to demonstrate how he fits in the offense and the locker room. Depending on how the visit goes, Davis could end up one step closer to his next NFL home.

Derek Carr Addresses Retirement Decision

June 5th, 2025 at 9:59am CST by Adam La Rose

Derek Carr elected to end his NFL career last month, and the Saints officially processed his retirement on Tuesday. The veteran quarterback’s decision to hang up his cleats came about from his desire not to have shoulder surgery, a topic he recently addressed.

“I wouldn’t have been able to play if I had the surgery,” Carr said during an interview with David Rumsey of Front Office Sports. “And then if I tried to play with it, I wasn’t near 100%, and so that doesn’t help them, either. I just felt like it was the right thing to do for myself and for the team.”

As part of the retirement decision, a financial arrangement was made between Carr and the Saints. The 34-year-old will keep his 2025 roster bonus (valued at $10MM) but he will forego the $30MM in guaranteed salary he was owed for the season. The Saints will move forward with an open competition including Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener and second-round rookie Tyler Shough under center. Carr’s post-2025 New Orleans future had been a talking point prior to his retirement anyway, but team and player have gone their separate ways early.

“That part was tough because I didn’t want to have surgery and just sit there and – it sounds crazy but – just take the Saints’ money,” Carr added. “I had a whole bunch of people tell me how crazy I was, and ‘Man, I would never have done that.’ That’s all cool, but I’ve gained all these things that the world has to offer, and it doesn’t really do anything for your heart. I knew my heart was at peace, and that’s really all that mattered.”

While Carr looked into his non-Saints options this spring prior to retiring, he has expressed contentment with his decision to hang up his cleats. The quarterback market has essentially been settled this offseason, with the Steelers representing the only team where the projected starter is not yet on the roster. Pittsburgh was not mentioned as a potential Carr landing spot, but a QB injury elsewhere could lead to speculation about an NFL return.

Instead, the former Raider confirmed in the interview that he plans to focus his attention on his post-playing days. Carr played a total of 11 seasons in the NFL, and it would come as a surprise if that total were to increase at any time.

2025 NFL Cap Space, By Team

June 4th, 2025 at 8:57am CST by Sam Robinson

This week started with a point on the NFL calendar that has been important for decades. Although teams have not needed to wait until June to make their most expensive cuts in many years, they do not see the funds from post-June 1 designations until that point.

With June 1 coming and going, a fourth of the league has seen the savings from post-June 1 releases arrive. That has affected the NFL’s cap-space hierarchy. Here is how every team stands (via OverTheCap) following June 2 changes:

  1. New England Patriots: $67.34MM
  2. San Francisco 49ers: $53.49MM
  3. Detroit Lions: $40.12MM
  4. New York Jets: $39.8MM
  5. Las Vegas Raiders: $36.16MM
  6. Arizona Cardinals: $32.11MM
  7. Dallas Cowboys: $32.11MM
  8. Pittsburgh Steelers: $31.88MM
  9. Seattle Seahawks: $31.21MM
  10. Tennessee Titans: $30.16MM
  11. Green Bay Packers: $28.94MM
  12. Cincinnati Bengals: $27.08MM
  13. Los Angeles Chargers: $26.83MM
  14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $26.63MM
  15. Jacksonville Jaguars: $26.54MM
  16. Philadelphia Eagles: $25.79MM
  17. New Orleans Saints: $22.62MM
  18. Washington Commanders: $21.13MM
  19. Indianapolis Colts: $20.09MM
  20. Los Angeles Rams: $19.44MM
  21. Baltimore Ravens: $18.95MM
  22. Carolina Panthers: $18.69MM
  23. Minnesota Vikings: $18.49MM
  24. Cleveland Browns: $18.2MM
  25. Houston Texans: $16.3MM
  26. Denver Broncos: $16.23MM
  27. Chicago Bears: $14.76MM
  28. Miami Dolphins: $13.81MM
  29. Kansas City Chiefs: $10.75MM
  30. Atlanta Falcons: $5.02MM
  31. New York Giants: $3.82MM
  32. Buffalo Bills: $1.69MM

The Jets saw their situation change the most from post-June 1 designations, as $13.5MM became available to the team after its Aaron Rodgers and C.J. Mosley cuts. Teams have up to two post-June 1 designations at their disposals. Five clubs — the Jets, Browns, Ravens, Eagles and 49ers — used both slots. Only three other teams made a post-June 1 cut before that seminal date. The eight that made these moves will have dead money split between 2025 and 2026.

Baltimore used the cost-defraying option to release Marcus Williams and Justin Tucker, while Cleveland — in Year 4 of the regrettable Deshaun Watson partnership — used it to move on from Juan Thornhill and Dalvin Tomlinson. As the Eagles’ option bonus-heavy payroll included two hefty bonus numbers for Darius Slay and James Bradberry, the reigning Super Bowl champions released both 30-something cornerbacks. Together, Slay and Bradberry will count more than $20MM on Philadelphia’s 2026 cap sheet. As for this year, though, the Browns, Eagles, Ravens and 49ers respectively saved $9.85MM, $9.4MM, $6.3MM, $6.4MM and $5.6MM, according to Spotrac.

The Jaguars made a mid-offseason decision to release Gabe Davis, doing so not long after trading up to draft Travis Hunter — with the plan to primarily play him at wide receiver — at No. 2 overall. Off-field issues, coupled with a down 2024 season, made Tucker expendable — after the Ravens drafted Tyler Loop in Round 6. The Vikings moved off Garrett Bradbury‘s contract and will replace him with free agency addition Ryan Kelly, while Mason lasted two seasons paired with C.J. Stroud‘s rookie deal. The 49ers made it known early they were moving on from Javon Hargrave, while 2024 trade addition Maliek Collins also exited the team’s D-tackle room.

Derek Carr‘s retirement being processed Tuesday also changed the Saints’ funding. The team will spread the dead money ($50.13MM) across two years. Even with the number being reduced this year, the Saints will be hit with the second-highest single-player dead money hit (behind only the Broncos’ Russell Wilson separation) in NFL history as a result of the Carr exit. The Saints will only be responsible for $19.21MM of that total in 2025. As they did with Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox‘s retirements last year, the Eagles will also process Brandon Graham‘s hit this way.

Eight of this year’s post-June 1 releases remain in free agency. The Patriots added Bradbury to replace the now-retired David Andrews, while the Vikings scooped up Hargrave. As the Steelers await Rodgers’ decision, they added two other post-June 1 releases in Slay and Thornhill. Tomlinson joined the Cardinals not long after his Browns release.

Saints Officially Place Derek Carr On Reserve/Retired List

June 3rd, 2025 at 9:03pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Saints officially placed Derek Carr on the reserve/retired list, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

The move formalizes Carr’s retirement, which was originally announced on May 10. The Saints were waiting until after June 1 to process the transaction so they could spread the $50.132MM in dead money across two years.

$19.207MM of that will hit the books in 2025, according to Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football, cancelling out most of the initial savings from Carr’s departure. The Saints should see a net increase in 2026 cap space despite the remaining $30.925MM in dead money.

Dumping Carr’s contract is a major step forward for the Saints, whose heavy use of void years has severely limited their financial flexibility. They are currently projected to be over the 2026 salary cap, per OverTheCap; Carr’s retirement will ease that burden, though additional moves will be required to become cap-compliant.

Moving on from Carr also makes the Saints’ QB room one of the least expensive in the league. Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler both have multiple years remaining on their rookie deal, and second-round pick Tyler Shough will be on a cost-controlled contract through 2028 once he puts pen to paper. New Orleans also signed undrafted rookie Hunter Dekkers to a three-year, $2.965MM deal with no guaranteed money.

Today’s move will also officially open up a spot on the Saints’ 90-man roster, allowing them to add more depth as the team progresses through OTAs.

Load More Posts