Ryan Ramczyk

Saints T Ryan Ramczyk Retires From NFL

April 17th, 2025 at 9:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints restructured Ryan Ramczyk‘s contract earlier this offseason, doing so after the accomplished right tackle did not play in 2024. That move was expected to precede a retirement, and the veteran blocker confirmed Thursday (via Instagram) he is done.

A knee injury led to retirement rumors swirling late in 2023, and with 2024 not becoming a bounce-back year for Ramczyk, he will call it quits as a one-team player. Ramczyk retires after spending seven seasons as New Orleans’ right tackle starter. He made 102 starts and earned three All-Pro honors.

Acquired with the pick the Patriots sent to the Saints for Brandin Cooks (No. 32 overall), Ramczyk was part of a draft class that helped reopen a Super Bowl window. The Saints acquired Ramczyk and Marshon Lattimore in the 2017 first round, Marcus Williams in the second and the Alvin Kamara–Alex Anzalone–Trey Hendrickson trio in the third. The team’s fortunes improved immediately, and Ramczyk became a bookend for Drew Brees‘ final batch of contending squads.

Transferring from Division III Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Ramczyk impressed at Wisconsin and surged onto the first-round radar. The Saints paired him with Terron Armstead for five seasons, closing out the Sean Payton era with that tackle tandem excelling. While Armstead battled injuries during this period, Ramczyk proved durable early in his career. Ramczyk missed just one game from 2017-20; that period featured four Saints playoff berths and the team adding three more postseason wins.

This Saints era became known for agonizing near-misses — via the Minneapolis Miracle sequence that involved a Williams misplay and then the infamous missed pass interference call against the Rams that likely denied a Super Bowl LIII berth — but Ramczyk became an important cog and secured a lucrative extension as a result. Late in Payton’s final offseason at the helm, the Saints gave Ramczyk a five-year, $96MM deal that included $43MM at signing. That became an important sequence for Ramczyk, who missed seven games in 2021 and reached a point-of-no-return situation two years later.

Following a 16-start 2022 season, Ramczyk managed to play 12 games in 2023. but his battle with a cartilage defect in his knee proved too much to overcome. The Saints placed Ramczyk on IR to close out the ’23 season, and they moved him to the reserve/PUP list before training camp last year, ending his ’24 campaign before it started. That made the January restructure and Thursday’s retirement unsurprising, but it wraps the career of one of the best O-linemen in Saints history.

Ramczyk, 31 next week, earned first-team All-Pro acclaim in 2019; second-team accolades sandwiched it. Brees closed his career with one of the NFL’s top O-lines protecting him. Two members from that unit remain, with Erik McCoy and Cesar Ruiz still on their second Saints contracts. Armstead signed with the Dolphins in 2022, while Andrus Peat joined the Raiders in 2024. Armstead joins Ramczyk in having retired in April, walking away after 12 seasons (nine in New Orleans).

The Saints are expected to designate Ramczyk a post-June 1 cut to help save money, as the eight-year vet agreed to reduce his 2025 base salary ($18MM) to the veteran minimum. This created $16MM in Saints cap space, and the team will spread out his $23.1MM dead money hit over two offseasons. For his career, Ramczyk earned just more than $69MM. His 101 starts rank eighth in Saints history by an O-lineman; among tackles, only Stan Brock and Hall of Famer Willie Roaf rank ahead of him in career Saints starts.

Saints, Ryan Ramczyk Agree To Restructure

January 8th, 2025 at 10:43am CST by Sam Robinson

It does not look like a Ryan Ramczyk comeback will commence for the Saints. A serious knee injury remains likely to end the former All-Pro tackle’s career, and some paperwork emerging Wednesday all but confirms it.

The Saints and Ramczyk agreed to a restructure that will save the team more than $16MM in cap space, OverTheCap’s Jason Fitzgerald reports. Ramczyk has agreed to trim his $18MM 2025 base salary down to the $1.26MM veteran minimum (for his service-time number).

This transaction will paves the way for the Saints to designate Ramczyk a post-June 1 cut, Fitzgerald adds. Before this reworking, the Saints would have needed to carry a $29MM cap number on their books until the funds emerged June 2. Sitting well south of every other team in terms of cap space, per usual, the Saints need to make several moves to reach compliance by the start of the 2025 league year. Even with this transaction, New Orleans sits more than $50MM over the NFL’s projected 2025 salary cap.

The post-June 1 cut will allow the Saints to split Ramczyk’s $23.1MM in dead money across two years. New Orleans used its two post-June 1 cut designations in 2024 (on Jameis Winston and Michael Thomas); Ramczyk being one of the team’s two allotted slots this year seems a good bet. Ramczyk had been tied to the five-year, $96MM deal he signed during Sean Payton‘s final offseason in charge (2021).

Although Saints winter restructures are commonplace, this one means more due to what it probably entails for Ramczyk. Part of a 2017 draft class that changed the franchise’s trajectory, Ramczyk arrived in the first round and became an instant starter. This helped Drew Brees remain on the NFL’s top tier at his position into his late 30s. Ramczyk, 30, made three All-Pro squads, including the 2019 first team, and started seven seasons for the Saints.

Late in the 2023 season, Ramczyk was believed to be at a career crossroads due to a troublesome knee injury. The Wisconsin alum ended that season on IR, though he still played 12 games, and hit the Saints’ reserve/PUP list to start training camp last year. That move ended Ramczyk’s season. The Saints used Trevor Penning in all 17 games at right tackle, with the 2022 first-rounder stabilizing his career to a degree after two rocky years. New Orleans drafted Taliese Fuaga to play left tackle.

The Saints still have two Brees-era O-line bastions — Erik McCoy and Cesar Ruiz — signed to extensions, but Ramczyk is all but certain to move off the team’s roster a year after an Andrus Peat contract reworking led to his exit.

Saints Place Ryan Ramczyk On Reserve/PUP List; Chase Young Nearing Return

July 18th, 2024 at 7:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

7:05pm: NFL network’s Ian Rapoport has provided a discouraging update, noting that Ramczyk’s placement on PUP means he’s out for the entire season. This applies to all vested veterans placed on reserve/PUP prior to the final roster reduction August 27.

4:00pm: Rumored to be in danger of missing the 2024 season, Ryan Ramczyk is already out of the picture for a chunk of it. The Saints placed the All-Pro right tackle on the reserve/PUP list Thursday, guaranteeing he will miss at least the season’s first four games.

A knee injury Ramczyk battled through last season has the eighth-year veteran at a career crossroads, and the Saints drafted a tackle in Round 1 (Taliese Fuaga). The former Oregon State right tackle is training on the left side, but it does not appear Ramczyk will be counted on in 2024. This transaction points to Ramczyk missing the season, NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill tweets.

Teams have the option of placing players on the active/PUP list, which is a training camp-only designation that does not affect a player’s regular-season availability. The Saints taking this step with Ramczyk more than a month before they have to does not bode well for the decorated blocker’s chances of factoring into the 2024 campaign.

Ramczyk, who turned 30 this offseason, has started 101 games. Twelve of those came last season, but knee trouble has pointed to this reality for a bit. A cartilage defect in Ramczyk’s knee has led him to this crossroads, which compounds issues for a Saints team in dire straits at tackle. Dennis Allen had labeled Ramczyk’s offseason knee surgery as minor and projected he would be ready for camp but said in April he felt better about the veteran’s chances at the time of surgery.

The team has not seen 2022 first-rounder Trevor Penning pan out; an early-season benching occurred. The Saints then saw three-year starter James Hurst, who worked at left tackle for two seasons and left guard for most of last year, retire. This came shortly after Andrus Peat, a Pro Bowl guard who was Penning’s primary LT replacement last year, defected to the Raiders. This all but assured the Saints would take advantage of this year’s deep tackle crop, with Fuaga being the prize at No. 14 overall.

As recently as last season, the Saints rolled out an O-line with four first-rounders (Ramczyk, Penning, Peat, Cesar Ruiz) and second-round center Erik McCoy. The team went back to the Round 1 well via Fuaga, who is in line to start at left tackle, but the LG and RT spots are uncertain. Penning trained at right tackle this offseason and may well be the favorite to fill in for Ramczyk, but the Northern Iowa alum’s performance to date leaves that as an unstable position.

This will be a blow for a perennially cap-strapped team. The Saints gave Ramczyk a five-year, $96MM extension in 2021. That contract included $43MM guaranteed at signing and $60MM guaranteed in total. Part of a 2017 draft class that changed the Saints’ trajectory, Ramczyk is a three-time All-Pro (first team in 2019) who has given the Saints stability on the right side. Ramczyk reworked his contract this offseason, dropping his cap number from $27MM to $12.9MM. A dead money charge of $23.1MM would come the Saints’ way if Ramczyk moves off the roster via release, though that number could be split via a post-June 1 cut.

In less impactful Saints news, the team placed tight end Juwan Johnson, defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon, linebacker Nephi Sewell and free agency DE addition Chase Young on the active/PUP list. Chris Olave landed on the active/NFI list. Players moved to the active/PUP or active/NFI lists can be activated at any point. The Saints activated rookie wide receiver Bub Means from the active/NFI list Thursday.

Young is coming off offseason neck surgery, though the former No. 2 overall pick has been viewed as likely to be ready for Week 1. His recovery has gone well enough the team does not expect a lengthy stay on the active/PUP list, Underhill adds. A similar assessment emerged last month, pointing to Young — who saw a severe knee injury change his path in Washington — being ready in the not-too-distant future. Young signed a one-year, $13MM deal comprised largely of per-game roster bonuses.

Saints T Ryan Ramczyk In Danger Of Missing 2024 Season

March 26th, 2024 at 9:41am CST by Adam La Rose

Ryan Ramczyk recently underwent a knee procedure aimed at rectifying what has proven to be a lingering issue. The veteran Saints right tackle was believed to be on track to recover at the time, but his situation has taken a turn for the worse.

When speaking at the annual league meeting on Tuesday, head coach Dennis Allen said (via Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football) he felt better about Ramczyk’s health at the time of the operation than he does now. Taking the matter further, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports the 29-year-old faces the possibility of missing the 2024 season altogether.

Ramczyk said late in the campaign he has been dealing with a cartilage defect for years, admitting it has increasingly become an issue over time. He acknowledged his short-term future was uncertain with respect to undergoing surgery while adding his intention to continue playing. As things stand, though, the former All-Pro could be sidelined for an extended period during the final year in which guaranteed money exists on his contract.

The former first-rounder agreed to restructure his deal and lowered his cap hit to $12.86MM in the process. He is owed $6.5MM guaranteed for 2024 regardless of his health status, but a release or retirement could come into play next offseason without progress in his rehab. Ramczyk is under contract through 2026, and Underhill’s colleague Mike Triplett notes the team would incur $23MM in dead money in either development.

Offensive line is already a priority for the Saints, a team which has question marks on the blindside given Trevor Penning‘s struggles early in his career. Longtime starter Andrus Peat is unsigned, as are Cameron Erving and Max Garcia. Having Ramczyk unavailable for some or all of the upcoming season would add further to the urgency on New Orleans’ part to make multiple additions up front in the second wave of free agency and the draft. The latter’s recovery process will be worth watching as the offseason unfolds.

NFC South Notes: Cousins, Falcons, Ramczyk, Saints, Davis, Evans, Panthers

March 20th, 2024 at 3:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

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 RT Ryan Ramczyk Facing Uncertain Future Over Knee Injury

January 1st, 2024 at 3:46pm CST by Adam La Rose

Ryan Ramczyk will likely be sidelined for the remainder of the 2023 season, having been placed on injured reserve this weekend. His future in 2024 and beyond is uncertain given the nature of his knee injury, however.

After missing a pair of games, the veteran right tackle was moved to IR on Saturday. That guaranteed a four-week absence, meaning a deep playoff run would be required for him to be eligible to return. Based on Ramczyk’s remarks on the subject of his health, though, signficant improvement will need to be made over the course of the offseason for him to continue playing at his consistent high level.

The 29-year-old said, via ESPN’s Katherine Terrell, that he is dealing with a cartilage defect in his knee, something which has been a nagging issue for years. The 2023 season in particular has proven to be challenging, and Ramczyk added he has been managing the injury since Week 1. Of particular concern is the fact not much cartilage remains in the affected knee, something which could limit the number of surgical options he has in the offseason.

“I don’t know,” the former All-Pro responded when asked about his next course of action. “I think those are the discussions we are going to have, that need to be had, and we’ll go from there… I’ll talk with surgeons, doctors, get as much as information as I can and then just make the best decision.”

Ramczyk’s contract runs through 2026, and (like many other Saints pacts of recent years) it has been restructured multiple times. As a result, he is due to count at least $25.23MM against the cap in each of the next three seasons; a void year (which carries a $2.58MM cap figure) also exists for 2027. A bonus of just over $10MM is in place from 2024-26, and moving on from the Wisconsin alum would create an annual dead cap charge of that amount in the event he were to be released.

Such action would only become feasible if little to no progress were to be made with respect to Ramczyk’s recovery, however. Long regarded as one of the league’s top right tackles, the former first-rounder has been a mainstay at his position throughout his seven-year career. Aside from the 2021 campaign, availability has not been a major concern. That could change in the near future, although Ramczyk remains hopeful he will be able to maintain his career for years to come.

“I feel like I’m not done yet. I feel like I still want to play,” he said. “I feel like I’m still passionate about the game. When you think about it like that, my mind frame is, ‘I want to play, and I want to keep doing it, so what can I do to get better, to not have this happen in-season?'”

Saints Place T Ryan Ramczyk On IR

December 30th, 2023 at 6:42pm CST by Adam La Rose

Barring a deep playoff run on the part of the Saints, Ryan Ramczyk‘s season has come to an end. The veteran right tackle was placed on injured reserve Saturday, per a team announcement.

Ramczyk has been dealing with a knee injury which has forced him to miss the past two games. Today’s move comes after he was unable to practice at any point this week, so it is relatively unsurprising. Moving to IR guarantees at least a four-week absence, so the 29-year-old will not be able to return until at least the divisional round of the postseason.

Reaching that point will be a challenge for New Orleans, one of three teams still in the running for the top spot in the NFC South. Sitting at 7-8 on the season, though, the Saints trail the surging Buccaneers for the division lead. A wild-card berth will also be difficult to secure given the team’s situation in the standings and the growing list of starters set to miss the remainder of the campaign.

Both cornerback Marshon Lattimore and wideout Michael Thomas are not expected to return by the end of the regular season as they recover from their respective injuries. Their absences will hinder New Orleans’ chances of claiming a playoff spot, and the team’s underwhelming offense will remain shorthanded without Ramczyk in the fold. The latter has started all 12 games he has played this season, remaining one of the league’s top tackles by drawing a PFF grade of 73.5.

That figure represents the lowest of the former All-Pro’s career, a sign of his consistent high-level play when healthy. Ramczyk is under contract through 2026, and his most recent restructure leaves him with cap hits over $25MM in each of the next three seasons. A return to full health will thus be critical for him and the team this offseason. 2021 sixth-rounder Landon Young is in place to finish the season as New Orleans’ right tackle starter.

To fill Ramczyk’s roster spot, the Saints signed fellow O-lineman Cameron Erving to the active roster. He had been on the team’s practice squad since October, and he has made one appearance to date with New Orleans. Erving, 31, has played 96 games (57 starts) across his time with five teams in the league. He will provide experienced depth up front for the Saints as the team’s playoff push reaches it closing stage.

Details On Saints’ Recent Restructures

February 25th, 2023 at 12:10pm CST by Ely Allen

We reported a bit this week on some of the Saints’ recent cap-clearing moves as they reworked the contracts of offensive linemen Ryan Ramczyk and Erik McCoy, as well as kicker Wil Lutz. We’ve been provided a bit more detail on the financial moves New Orleans has made this week and how it will impact them in the future.

In regard to Ramczyk’s new deal, the Saints reportedly added a voidable year to his contract, according to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football. Ramczyk’s cap hit for this year is now at $11.1MM, a reduction of about $10MM, but with cap hits from 2024-27 of $27.03MM, $28.03MM, $25.26MM, and $2.58MM (dead money), the team will likely have to restructure his contract more in the future. His base salaries from 2024-26 are $17MM, $18MM, and $19MM, respectively, giving the Saints some flexibility to restructure. His contract makes him very difficult to trade in the near future, as well, as New Orleans would be facing about $43MM in dead money to have him dealt.

Underhill also provided some details about Lutz’s new deal. His contract now has a base salary of $1.25MM, freeing up $1.5MM of cap space. He will receive a per game active bonus of $26K for a potential season total of $450K, and he can earn $750K in incentives based on field goal percentage and total points.

Additionally, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported yesterday that the team has also restructured safety Tyrann Mathieu‘s contract in order to clear another $4.67MM in cap space for next season. Underhill added that they have also added a voidable year to the veteran’s contract. His cap numbers will now stand at $4.23MM in 2023, $12.07MM in 2024, and $7.30MM of dead money in 2025.

There’s lots to speculate about where this cap space could be going. They could be attempting to make room to accommodate taking on the contract of quarterback Derek Carr, as they were once viewed as frontrunners to land his services, or they could be gearing up to make a run at cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Regardless, the Saints are building some room as they deal with their annual troubles with cap space.

Saints Rework Ryan Ramczyk, Erik McCoy, Wil Lutz Contracts

February 23rd, 2023 at 11:37am CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints have begun their annual midwinter trudge toward cap compliance. They reworked two of their starting offensive linemen’s contracts, along with Wil Lutz‘s, in recent days to create a chunk of cap space.

New Orleans adjusted Ryan Ramczyk‘s contract to create $10.4MM in cap room, per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, doing so not long after they adjusted Erik McCoy‘s deal (Twitter link). The McCoy restructure created $8MM in space, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

This business-as-usual effort from the NFC South team also included Lutz lowering his cap number by $1.5MM, Yates adds (on Twitter). Altogether, the Saints have created just more than $20MM in cap space. As of Thursday morning, OverTheCap slots New Orleans as being just more than $35MM over the 2023 salary ceiling. More work is coming, but GM Mickey Loomis certainly has extensive experience in making these climbs.

The latest batch of restructures involved moving $12.92MM of Ramczyk’s base salary into a signing bonus, per Yates. Ramczyk signed a five-year, $96MM deal back in 2021; that contract will now produce higher cap numbers after 2023. From 2024-26, the acclaimed right tackle’s three cap figures ($27MM, $28MM, $25.2MM) will be in the top 10 for non-quarterbacks, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap passes along (via Twitter). Though, various deals around the league this year will likely change that. McCoy’s through-2027 extension will feature a cap spike from $4.7MM this year to $13.7MM in 2024.

While Loomis’ 2021 restructure project involved moving from more than $100MM over the cap to a place where the team could use its franchise tag on Marcus Williams, displaying the veteran GM’s acumen here, the team is among those pursuing Derek Carr. The Saints were the only team to host Carr during the Raiders’ brief (and strictly controlled) trade sweepstakes, but the Saints would have needed to rework his contract to greenlight a trade. Carr refused to waive his no-trade clause and is now a free agent, having made the Jets his first FA visit. The Saints will need to fire up more of their February-March cap craftsmanship to create room for a Carr contract, in the event they are still in the running when the quarterback prepares to make his final call.

Saints Create $26MM+ In Cap Space Via Restructures

February 26th, 2022 at 9:42am CST by Ben Levine

The Saints entered the offseason significantly over the cap, but they’re already starting to create some breathing room. According to ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter), the Saints created $26.217MM in cap space by reworking the contracts of wideout Michael Thomas and offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk.

Specifically, they converted $14.56MM of Thomas’ 2022 compensation and $18.20MM of Ramczyk‘s upcoming compensation into signing bonuses. The Saints entered the offseason a projected $74MM over the cap, but they have the ability to open a significant chunk of money (with some estimates saying they could save $100M via restructures). In other words, this is surely just the beginning for New Orleans’ front office.

Thomas led the league in receptions in 2018 and ’19, but following a disappointing 2020 campaign, the veteran receiver missed the entire 2021 season. Despite Thomas upsetting Saints brass by delaying an offseason ankle surgery last year, he remains in the team’s 2022 plans. While this does not necessarily guarantee the veteran pass catcher will be with the Saints next season, the team could certainly use him following an underwhelming season from the team’s other non-Alvin Kamara pass catchers.

Ramczyk was a first-round pick by the Saints in 2017, and he’s started all 73 of his games through his first five years in the NFL. The Saints inked the lineman to a five-year, $96MM deal (including $60MM in guaranteed money) last offseason.

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