What’s next for the New Orleans Saints?
The New Orleans Saints suffered through a disappointing season in 2014, finishing second in the putrid NFC South with a 7-9 record. Even more upsetting for Saints fans is the upcoming offseason, which is about to be a scary, cost-cutting endeavor.
New Orleans has enjoyed a terrific run with head coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees. Since the duo arrived in 2006, the Saints have won a Super Bowl and made the playoffs five times with three division titles.
However, trouble is looming for this once potent franchise. Like many successful teams before them, the salary cap constraints are about to blow up their core, leaving general manager Mickey Loomis in tough position. For the 2015 NFL year, the salary cap is projected to settle around $140 million. Using that number as a guide, there are three teams exceeding the limit, including the San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals and Saints, according to Over The Cap. San Francisco is above the threshold by $3.7 million and Arizona by $6.8, while New Orleans stands at a whopping $20.4.
The Saints will have no choice but to cut some high-profile players to simply get to cap compliance. When you factor in the typical draft class costing $5-6 million to sign, New Orleans has to clear a minimum of $25 million.
Incredibly, the Saints are on the hook for seven players exceeding a cap hit of $10 million next year. All of those players are in the top financial bracket of their position groups across the league, being paid in the top four at their respective positions. Over at Grantland, Bill Barnwell has a terrific breakdown explaining how New Orleans manages to keep all these players on the roster, although its comeuppance has arrived.
The NFL salary cap is tricky business, but the Saints have figured out a way to keep multiple high-priced players without breaking rules to this point. This offseason, New Orleans will likely restructure the contracts of safety Jairus Byrd, defensive end Junior Galette and linebacker Curtis Lofton. By doing so, the Saints will be very close to if not back under the cap limit, but they also spread guaranteed money down the line. This takes away from Loomis’ ability to add to a roster which already has a litany of holes in it.
Think of the Saints as a baseball team with an unbelievable middle of the order, but with a crappy starting rotation and no bench because the funds are gone. New Orleans has star power, but nothing behind it.
New Orleans’ future is ugly, especially with an aging Brees (36 next week) and other declining stars in Jahri Evans and Marques Colston. The Saints also have talented free agents in running back Mark Ingram and center Jonathan Goodwin. Keeping both is likely out of the question, and even one will be a stretch if another team is dead-set on acquisition.
For New Orleans, cap problems have been a distant future for many years. Now, the future is here, and it is ugly.
