The New Orleans Saints have reworked the contracts of several key players and freed up a bunch of cap space that should allow the team to be a little more aggressive this week in NFL free agency.
Last season was an extremely frustrating one for the Saints. After hopes that they could make some noise in the NFC, the team disappointed in a major way by going 7-10 and landing in a last-place tie in an awful NFC South.
Obviously, changes and improvements needed to be made for 2023, and the team got off to a fast start by winning the Derek Carr sweepstakes last week. However, after that, the team did not have much salary cap flexibility to expand on that move. That changed over the last two days.
On Monday they reworked the deal of defensive end Cam Jordan to get $10 million back under the salary cap. On Tuesday, ESPN NFL insider Field Yates reported that the New Orleans Saints also restructured the deals of star running back Alvin Kamara and cornerback Marshon Lattimore. The revised contracts will move the team’s available cap space to $29.2 million.
While they are unlikely to swing for the top tier of free agents, there are several savvy veteran moves the team could make this week. Here are three players the Saints could target with their new cap space.
Robert Quinn
The Saints saw defensive players David Onyemata, Shy Tuttle, Marcus Davenport and Kaden Elliss all walk away in free agency Monday. They badly need to replenish their defense front and 12-year veteran Robert Quinn might be a good option on the open market.
Yes, the three-time Pro Bowler had a down year in 2022 and he will turn 33 in May, but he is only a couple of years removed from an 18.5 sack season. His off-year last season could benefit the Saints, as they might be able to sign him at a more affordable rate than if he were entering the market with more typical stats for him.
Calais Campbell
If Quinn’s asking price is too high, recently released future Hall-of-Famer Calais Campbell could be a worthwhile target for the Saints. If head coach Dennis Allen is looking to change the culture of the locker room, Carr and Campbell would certainly be a positive facelift of the roster leadership.
Campbell had 5.5 sacks last season for the Ravens and has 99 for his career.
Bobby Wagner
Bobby Wagner was cut by the Los Angeles Rams after just one season last month. Wagner had a good season in 2022 with 140 tackles and six sacks.
He would certainly be a strong addition to the defense after all of the recent losses and might come at a more affordable price at 32 years old compared to some of the other linebackers on the market.
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