As the Saints continue another layered journey toward cap compliance, they are planning to keep one of their impending free agents in the fold. They are closing in on a deal with Tanoh Kpassagnon, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
A seventh-year edge rusher, Kpassagnon has spent the past two seasons in New Orleans. The former Kansas City second-round pick is nearing a multiyear pact, per Pelissero. This move would keep one of the Saints’ rotational pass rushers in the fold.
Void years are attached to Kpassagnon’s previous Saints contract. If no deal is reached by the start of the new league year, $1.99M in dead money would hit the Saints’ books. While that is a modest figure, the Saints are still more than $30M over the cap. Kpassagnon, 28, played out a two-year, $4.5M contract this past season.
Although the Villanova product has not become a regular starter, multiple teams have used him as a complementary edge presence. The 6-foot-7 defensive end has registered six sacks during his Saints tenure, one that has included 10 starts. Kpassagnon has added 14 quarterback hits during this span.
The Saints may well be losing former first-round pick Marcus Davenport this offseason. Davenport played out his rookie contract and is weeks away from free agency. The Saints are pursuing Derek Carr, though it is unknown how much they are willing to pay the street free agent QB and are unlikely to have much in the way of funds to keep Davenport. The team retaining Kpassagnon, then, stands to help its D-end situation at a fraction of that cost.
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