ClutchPoints
Entering the 2025 NFL offseason, no team will be in a worse salary cap situation than the New Orleans Saints. Given their current state as a rebuilding franchise, that is a less-than-ideal position to be in, forcing them to make roster adjustments in the near future. The quickest and most cost-effective way will be for the Saints to compile a list of cut candidates.
With a plethora of big contracts on their books, the Saints are projected to be $52 million in the hole in the 2025 NFL offseason. Major transactions during recent offseasons — including the signing of Derek Carr, Alvin Kamara and Cameron Jordan — are beginning to come back to haunt them. Such gambles did not pay off in 2024, leaving them in limbo the following offseason.
Before free agency even began, the Saints had already made one major offseason move. New Orleans landed recent Super Bowl LIX champion Kellen Moore as its next head coach, filling the void Dennis Allen left behind. Moore rose up the ranks as one of the top offensive coordinators in the league over the past half-decade, giving fans reason to be excited for the upcoming season despite a 5-12 finish in 2024.
Even with Moore, the Saints have a host of moves to make before returning to Super Bowl contention. Aside from being one of the most expensive rosters in the league, they are also one of the oldest. New Orleans had an average age of 26.7 in 2024, the fifth-highest in the NFL. That stat contrasts with the hiring of Moore, who became the youngest head coach at the time of his hiring.
Under the new regime, it is possible for New Orleans to favor youth moving forward. Either way, the Saints have to thin out their roster to make any major moves in the 2025 NFL offseason.
With his 14th season now in the books, Cameron Jordan is now just two games behind Drew Brees for the most in Saints history. Unfortunately, if the front office prioritizes its business model the way it should, Jordan will not get there.
At 35 — and soon-to-be 36 in July — Jordan is the oldest and longest-tenured player on the team. He is also still well-compensated, earning the third-highest annual salary in New Orleans. His recent production has just not aligned with the cost, particularly for a defensive end. Jordan’s sack numbers have dramatically decreased over the past two years, with just two in 2023 and four in 2024.
As Jordan continues to age, the Saints have adequately supplemented him with young talent. In 2024, the reinforcements came in the form of former first-round picks Payton Turner and Chase Young. Both were admirable in a reserve role, particularly Young, who finished second on the team with 5.5 sacks.
Young’s career has not nearly met the expectations he was given upon entering the league, but he thoroughly outperformed them in 2024. His impressive output kept him on the field...
