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.
Saints’ Cameron Jordan Addresses Pending Free Agency
Cameron Jordan‘s contract is set to void just before the start of free agency. It remains to be seen if his career will continue into a 16th Saints season as a result. 
2025 saw Jordan regain his previous form from a production standpoint. The 2010s All-Decade Team member posted 10.5 sacks, reaching double-digits for the first time in that department since 2021. Seen around the league as a potential trade target leading up to the deadline, the franchise icon remained in place through the end of the campaign.
Now, Jordan is in position to once again negotiate a new Saints deal. Entering his age-37 season, a long-term pact or one near the top of the market should certainly not be expected. Jordan is well aware of that, something he recently made clear when speaking about his future.
“If you get a 10-sack season, if I was 26, I’d be asking for top dollar,” the eight-time Pro Bowler said (via NFL.com). “Things I’ve never asked for is top dollar. All I’ve ever asked for is to be valued.”
In 2023, Jordan inked a two-year, $26.5MM pact which helped set him up to retire as a member of the Saints. A restructure took place in March, but another new contract will now need to be agreed to in order to avoid a departure. Jordan would be seen as an impactful addition on any number of teams, especially considering his strong 2025 showing. The Saints are currently over the cap for 2026, but to much less of an extent than previous years.
New Orleans has Carl Granderson on the books through 2027 thanks to his most recent deal. Chase Young, meanwhile, landed a major raise when re-signing with the Saints last year. Those two figure to play considerable roles along the edge in 2026 regardless of how things play out on this front. Nevertheless, efforts between Jordan and the Saints to work out another short-term arrangement would come as no surprise.
Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, Bradley Chubb Among Those Chasing Incentives
Late-December/early-January football offers myriad playoff scenarios, but incentives also play a key part during this sector of the NFL season. Here are a handful of incentive storylines to follow as the regular season winds down:
- Sam Darnold, QB (Seahawks). As we touched on in March, Darnold’s three-year, $100.5MM deal includes $5MM per year in incentives. He can earn $500K apiece by eclipsing a 100.0 passer rating, throwing at least 28 TD passes and finishing with a completion rate higher than 67.5%. Darnold sits on 25 TD passes and carries a 67.2% completion rate into Week 18. The nomadic QB also holds a 99.2 rating entering the 49ers matchup, putting $1.5MM in play. Darnold also earned $500K by guiding the Seahawks to the playoffs, ESPN.com’s Marc Raimondi notes. While no incentive exists for a Seattle wild-card win, the free agent signing would collect $1MM for a divisional-round win, $1.5MM for reaching Super Bowl LX and $2.5MM for winning it.
- Baker Mayfield, QB (Buccaneers). Mayfield’s three-year, $100MM deal includes a $2.5MM incentive package that can fully or partially trigger depending on the QB’s finishes in five statistical categories. Mayfield can earn $500K apiece if he finishes in the top 10 NFL QBs or top five among NFC arms in passer rating, TD passes, yards, completion percentage and yards per attempt, Ramondi adds. Mayfield sits 12th in yards (sixth NFC) and 11th in TDs (fifth NFC) but outside the top 17 in the other three categories, likely putting only $1MM in play.
- Bradley Chubb, OLB (Dolphins). Chubb can do quite well by season’s end. After agreeing to an offseason rework, the injury-prone edge rusher is set to cash in based on playing time escalators. Sitting at 72% playing time, Chubb is on track to earn more than $3.1MM, which he will do by finishing the season north of 70%, per Raimondi. The former top-five pick has already cashed in a $1.23MM sack incentive by reaching six; he can earn another $900K with eight. Chubb sits at 6.5 through 16 games.
- Keenan Allen, WR (Chargers). Returning to the Chargers on a one-year, $3MM contract, Allen has earned $1MM in reception incentives already, sitting at 73. He is at $750K on his receiving yardage incentives, per Raimondi. The two-stint Charger also has banked $750K by reaching 60 catches and the Bolts qualifying for the playoffs.
- Morgan Moses, RT (Patriots). Moses’ three-year, $24MM deal included a $1.5MM bump for playing 90% of the Patriots’ offensive snaps, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Moses, who has not missed a game in his 12th season, locked that in during the Pats’ Week 17 win over the Jets. This is good news for the Jets, who let Moses walk in free agency. This is expected to bump the value of the 2026 compensatory pick tied to his exit from the seventh round to the fifth, OverTheCap’s Nick Korte notes.
- Joey Bosa, DE (Bills). Avoiding injuries for the most part this season, Bosa has five sacks on his one-year, $12.61MM Bills deal. If he nets No. 6 in Week 18, the 10th-year veteran will earn an additional $250K, per Raimondi. Bosa (15 games played — his most since 2019) is also on track to collect an additional $750K for playing at least 55% of the Bills’ defensive snaps.
- Deebo Samuel, WR (Commanders). Washington did not extend Samuel upon acquiring him via trade, but his deal does include a number of incentives. Already netting $250K in receiving yardage bonuses, Samuel (707 yards) can bump that to $450K if he reaches 800 yards. Samuel already banked $450K by reaching 70 receptions, Raimondi adds.
- Three NFC defenders earned six-figure bumps recently. Cameron Jordan (Saints) collected a $600K bonus by reaching nine sacks, per ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell. The 15th-year defensive end, who has 9.5 sacks in a bounce-back year, agreed to a reworked contract in March. Fellow veteran D-end DeMarcus Lawrence earned an additional $500K by being selected to the Pro Bowl in his first Seahawks slate, according to Spotrac. Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson earned $500K for intercepting a fourth pass this season, ESPN’s Field Yates adds.
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 Officially Shifting To Base 3-4 Defense
While all NFL defenses play around with formations depending on the situation, every team has a base defense that functions as their identity and the starting point from which they can build out. The base defense is key in determining what types of defenders you bring in, as well. For instance, you might not want to bring in a standup outside linebacker if you run a base 4-3, in which he’ll be required to put his hand in the dirt, which could affect his pass rush arsenal. 
Well, according to Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune, the Saints are officially switching to a base 3-4 defense under new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley. Staley learned the scheme from Vic Fangio during their time together in Chicago and Denver, while Fangio was a student of it all the way back during his first NFL gig as the Saints linebackers coach in the 1980s, when the imposing “Dome Patrol” quartet gained notoriety in New Orleans. But the 3-4 went away from the Superdome when then-head coach Jim Mora resigned in the late 1990s, and the defense has been mostly run out of a base 4-3 since then.
For the most part, the responsibilities of the secondary will remain unchanged in the new formation. The base defense will still include two safeties and two cornerbacks with extra defensive backs coming in for special formations. The responsibilities of the middle linebackers will also remain mostly the same, barring the fact that their new base defense allows for two strictly off-ball linebackers.
The differences come with the outside linebackers and the defensive line. When running a base 4-3, defensive ends are the main pass rushers. Outside linebackers can blitz on occasion, but for the most part, they act more as off-ball linebackers than edge rushers. The defensive tackles, in 4-3, are stout and strong, but they also usually to have a bit of a pass rush arsenal. In base 3-4, the outside linebackers become the main pass rushers, though they should also have the versatility to function off ball. The defensive ends now are more akin to defensive tackles in size and pass rush ability. The nose tackles become more important in the 3-4 as an over-the-center, usually heavier, run stuffer.
In New Orleans, determinations are being made as to which defenders will have what roles. Formerly defensive ends, Carl Granderson, Chase Young, Cameron Jordan, and Isaiah Foskey are now outside linebackers. They’ll have to adjust to working out of standup position, as opposed to the three-point stance they have been used to. In order to adjust to this new starting position, Young and Granderson have reportedly shed some weight.
The new defensive ends group is composed of Bryan Bresee, Jonah Williams, and Vernon Broughton, while the nose tackles will be former defensive tackles Davon Godchaux, Nathan Shepherd, and Khalen Saunders. Their responsibilities won’t really change too much, aside from their new three-man lineup being surrounded by pass rushers from the linebacking corps.
Obviously, Staley and company will constantly be changing up looks and rotations throughout the course of games and the season based on different situations and different offenses they will face. But this change in the team’s base defense alters the role of several key, veteran players and will likely affect the prospective players New Orleans looks for in the future.
Saints DE Cameron Jordan Returning On Restructured Deal
MARCH 18: The Saints will have Jordan back on a one-year deal worth $6.1MM, according to OverTheCap. This pay cut will see Jordan’s base salary dropped to the league minimum, but that is for cap purposes, as the Saints — in an on-brand move — have four void years included in the new deal. Jordan’s cap number checks in at $9.78MM.
While Jordan joins Tyrann Mathieu in accepting a redone deal to stay in New Orleans, the all-time Saints great leaving in 2026 will be costly. If Jordan does not re-sign before the 2026 league year, the Saints will be tagged with $18.76MM in dead money.
MARCH 12: After making it known that he intended to continue playing in 2025, Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan is making it happen. Though Jordan profiled as a release candidate, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football confirms that the team and Jordan have reached an agreement that will keep him in New Orleans for his 15th season. 
It is believed that Jordan, who was due $12.5MM in 2025, is accepting a pay cut. After all, despite again starting a full slate of games last season, Jordan finished the year with a 47% snap share, which was by far the lowest mark of his career (he had never appeared in less than 70% of the Saints’ defensive snaps).
Along with the reduced playing time came a corresponding downturn in overall performance. For the first time since his rookie season all the way back in 2011, Jordan finished with a below-average Pro Football Focus grade; his 57.4 overall mark placed him 87th out of 119 qualified edge defenders, and his 54.3 pass rush grade was especially jarring in light of the sack artist’s history of production in that regard.
Jordan, who will be 36 by the time Week 1 rolls around, has just six sacks across the past two seasons after never posting fewer than 7.5 from 2012-22. At this stage of his career, the potential Hall of Famer and eight-time Pro Bowler is clearly a rotational piece.
Clearly, however, the Saints’ new regime and new DC Brandon Staley have prioritized continuity on the edge; New Orleans recently restructured the contract of defensive end Carl Granderson and agreed to re-sign Chase Young. The club also acquired Davon Godchaux via trade in an effort to fortify the interior of the D-line.
Jordan, who has reportedly become accustomed to treating the Saints’ final home game each year as if it could be his last in the Superdome, will have at least one more last hurrah.
Ely Allen contributed to this post.
NFC South Notes: Bucs, Brooks, Saints
As the post-Super Bowl LV offseason showed and last year reaffirmed, the Buccaneers are high on retaining talent. Those waves of re-signings and extensions involved numerous core players staying, and last year’s effort included Mike Evans re-signing on a third contract. Evans’ deal preceded the Bucs drafting Jalen McMillan in the third round. Tasked with a bigger role after Chris Godwin‘s season-ending ankle injury, McMillan impressed down the stretch — to the point the Bucs could use a rookie-contract wideout to replace their longtime WR2. But it does not appear Tampa Bay has given up on keeping their long-running wideout tandem intact.
Multiple execs informed ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler they expect the Bucs to attempt to re-sign Godwin, who played out a three-year, $60MM deal. Tampa Bay had twice franchise-tagged Godwin, giving him an extension in 2022, but has seen him suffer two major injuries. Then again, the Bucs re-upped the talented Evans sidekick — the second-leading receiver in franchise history — months after an ACL tear. Godwin, 28, would stand to have a nice market if he hit free agency for the first time. The Bucs have until March 10 to prevent that, but the team has also done very well — as the Shaquil Barrett, Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean deals show — to re-sign players even if they do test the market.
Here is the latest from the NFC South:
- After Liam Coen avoided contact with Bucs brass during his secret negotiations with the Jaguars, a report indicated Tampa Bay was unlikely to do its former OC any favors regarding assistant coaches. The Bucs are not prepared to let contracted staffers follow Coen to Jacksonville, and ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes the team blocked O-line coach Kevin Carberry from interviewing for the same position with the Jags. Carberry worked with Coen in Los Angeles and came to Tampa last year, but unless a promotion to OC would be in the offing, the Bucs can block interview requests involving assistants.
- Jonathon Brooks re-tore the right ACL he injured in college, and the Panthers running back is not expected to be ready to start the 2025 season. The 2024 second-round pick may not factor prominently into that campaign. Brooks underwent surgery last week, per The Athletic’s Joe Person, who adds the Panthers hope the running back would be ready to return before season’s end. A definitive timeline is not yet in place, but Carolina will not be expecting an Adrian Peterson-like recovery from a player who now has sustained two ACL tears since November 2023. It took Brooks until November 24 to debut for the Panthers. He suffered the latest tear Dec. 8. Two years of Brooks’ four-year rookie contract figure to be dominated by missed time.
- Chris Olave suffered two concussions during the season; the second knocked him out for the Saints‘ eight games. The former first-round pick visited specialists, and while he did not don a game uniform again, he did return to practice. Olave said he is now symptom-free, per ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell, and ready for a full offseason. That represents good news for a Saints team searching for a new head coach. One year remains on Olave’s rookie contract, though the Saints can extend it through 2025 by exercising the Ohio State alum’s fifth-year option by May.
- Cam Jordan wants to play a 15th NFL season, but something might have to give in order for that to happen. The Saints used Jordan as an inside defender on 22.7% of his snaps last season, Terrell notes, and Jordan wants to come back exclusively as a D-end. The decorated sack artist’s production has declined in recent years. After totaling at least 7.5 sacks every season from 2012-22, Jordan registered four in 2024 — after a two-sack 2023. Jordan is due a $12.5MM base salary in his contract year, but as one of the many Saints prior restructures, this contract contains four void years. It would cost New Orleans $23.9MM in dead money to dump Jordan ahead of his age-36 season.
Cameron Jordan Plans To Play In 2025
Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan is planning to return for his 15th NFL season in 2025, per Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football.
Jordan has one year remaining on his current deal with the Saints, but the team is already almost $64MM over the NFL’s projected 2025 salary cap, per OverTheCap. A release with a post-June 1 designation would save the Saints $11MM of salary cap space next year, though the team would have to absorb almost $24MM in dead cap hits across 2025 and 2026.
This isn’t the first time Jordan has faced a potential end to his time in New Orleans. He’s become accustomed to treating the team’s final home game each year as if it could be his last in the Superdome, according to Triplett.
If the Saints do part ways with Jordan, he will face a complicated free agency market this offseason. To start, he’s 35 years old with just five sacks in the last two years after 11 straight seasons with at least 7.5. Jordan has yet to miss a game in his career, but his snap share has steadily dropped since he turned 30, reaching a career-low 47% this year.
The 14th-year defensive end would likely need to take a pay cut from his current $13.25MM per-year average, though with over $125MM in career earnings, he is more likely to be chasing another Super Bowl ring than a final payday. In terms of official sacks, Jordan is the Saints’ all-time leader (120.5). That total ranks 23rd all time, putting Jordan on the Hall of Fame radar. Dwight Freeney and Julius Peppers kept going into their late 30s, padding their sack totals as situational pass rushers. A similar role could benefit Jordan, but some moving parts still exist here.
He also wants to stay at defensive end instead of moving inside to defensive tackle, Triplett adds. Jordan has spent the vast majority of his career as an edge defender in the Saints’ 4-3 scheme. At 6-foot-4 and 287 pounds, he has the size to play along the interior, but believes he will be most effective on the outside. However, teams with a 3-4 defense – which tend to assign more coverage responsibilities to edge defenders – may only see Jordan as a designated pass rusher. Still, most teams primarily use nickel personnel, so Jordan should be able to find a new defensive end gig if he leaves New Orleans.
NFL Active Leaders In Career Earnings
Kirk Cousins‘ four-year, $180MM deal with the Falcons this season vaulted him up the list of active career earners. This was by virtue of his $50MM signing bonus, adding to the more than $231MM he earned from the Commanders and (mostly) the Vikings throughout his career. Even under the worst-case scenario, Cousins will still see at least another $50MM come his way via his contract with Atlanta, which would push his career earnings north of $331MM.
While the soon-to-be 36-year-old Cousins will surely see a significant portion of the $80MM worth of unguaranteed money on his contract, he’ll still be hard pressed to catch Aaron Rodgers on the career-earnings list. Rodgers earned more than $306MM during his long tenure in Green Bay, and he’s already made close to $37MM during his one season in New York (mostly via the $35MM signing bonus on his reworked pact).
With at least $40MM of additional guarantees coming his way from the Jets, Rodgers will continue to grow his lead as the highest-earning NFL player of all time. Both Rodgers and Matthew Stafford were able to leap Tom Brady among the NFL’s highest all-time earners over the past year.
With all that said, we’ve listed the 25 active players who have earned the most money in their NFL careers (h/t to OverTheCap.com). While this list is up to date, it doesn’t account for soon-to-realized salaries for the 2024 campaign. This list is also solely focused on NFL cash and does not include off-the-field earnings:
- QB Aaron Rodgers: $343MM
- QB Matthew Stafford: $328MM
- QB Russell Wilson: $305MM
- QB Kirk Cousins: $281MM
- QB Jared Goff: $234MM
- LB Von Miller: $179MM
- QB Joe Flacco: $177MM
- OT Trent Williams: $171MM
- QB Derek Carr: $165MM
- LB Khalil Mack: $162MM
- QB Dak Prescott: $161MM
- DL Aaron Donald: $157MM
- QB Jimmy Garoppolo: $150MM
- DE Calais Campbell: $143MM
- QB Deshaun Watson: $142MM
- QB Patrick Mahomes: $136MM
- DE Joey Bosa: $134MM
- DL Leonard Williams: $134MM
- WR Mike Evans: $132MM
- QB Carson Wentz: $130MM
- WR DeAndre Hopkins: $128MM
- WR Stefon Diggs: $126MM
- DE Cameron Jordan: $126MM
- OT Lane Johnson: $121MM
- DT Chris Jones: $120MM
Latest On Saints DEs Cameron Jordan, Chase Young
Saints stalwart Cameron Jordan underwent surgery earlier this year to address the significant ankle injury he sustained in November. While the eight-time Pro Bowler was able to play through the injury, he was clearly limited by it down the stretch of the 2023 season, and he ultimately recorded just two sacks (his lowest total since his rookie year in 2011).
Fortunately, Jordan is on the mend. He told reporters, including Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football, that he is running again and participating in walk-throughs, and he hopes to do some on-field work by the end of OTAs and minicamp (the last OTA session is on June 6, and the club’s three-day mandatory minicamp commences on June 11).
Despite the diminished sack total, Jordan still played fairly well in the eyes of Pro Football Focus, securing a solid 73.5 overall grade that positioned him as the 41st-best edge defender out of 112 qualified players. That is off the pace of his elite performances from 2015-21 but right in line with his 2022 work. His overall mark was pulled down by a middling 63.8 pass rush grade, though there is hope that a healthy ankle will at least allow him to replicate the counting stats he accumulated in 2022, when he tallied 8.5 sacks, 66 total tackles (13 TFL), and a pair of forced fumbles.
One way or another, it appears that Jordan, who will turn 35 in July, has another two years to go in his illustrious playing career. The Cal product inked an extension last August that keeps him under club control through 2025, which he expects to be his last season. In classic Saints fashion, the team restructured his contract in March to clear cap space.
Joining Jordan on the New Orleans defensive front is free agent acquisition Chase Young, who has yet to get the big-money deal that he was doubtlessly eyeing when the Commanders made him the No. 2 overall pick in 2020. Young, of course, earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors that season but struggled with a serious knee injury thereafter, though he did manage to post 7.5 sacks between the Commanders and 49ers in 2023. While he can earn up to $13MM on his one-year pillow contract with the Saints, most of that value comes in the form of per-game roster bonuses.
Young’s market was limited in part by the fact that he required neck surgery this offseason, and while the Saints were comfortable with his prognosis, they knew he would need some time to recover. As Triplett notes, Young will likely remain in “walk-through mode” through minicamp, which is consistent with earlier reports that he would be sidelined into training camp in July.