Saints get defensive boost with $33 million linebacker signing

The New Orleans Saints are getting a boost in their defense by adding a weapon from a divisional rival in the NFC South — and someone who’s familiar with how things go in The Big Easy.

Linebacker Kaden Elliss is coming back to the Saints after spending three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, as he is signing a three-year contract worth $33 million with the team that drafted him.

“The #Saints are adding a lynchpin on defense, signing former #Falcons LB Kaden Elliss, sources say. He gets a 3-year, $33M deal with $23M guaranteed in a deal done by agents Malki Kawa and Ethan Lock of @FirstRoundMgmt . Max value is nearly $39M,” Rapoport shared via a social media post on X, formerly Twitter.

Elliss entered the league in 2019, when he was taken in the seventh round (244th overall) of that year’s NFL draft. During his first four seasons in the pros, all with the Saints, the former Idaho Vandals football star amassed totals of 101 combined tackles, eight sacks, two forced fumbles, two passes defended and 13 quarterback hits across 48 games, including 12 starts.

In 2023, he parted ways with the Saints and went to the Falcons, who inked him to a three-year, $21.5 million contract.

With Atlanta, Elliss found a much larger role in the Falcons’ stop unit than he did in the previous years with the Saints.

During his three-season stint with Atlanta, Elliss racked up 380 combined tackles and 12.5 sacks to go along with 32 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles, 12 passes defended and two interceptions through 51 games (all starts).

The Saints likely believe that they are getting a much better version of Elliss this time around, and one that has been a very durable defensive player.

Elliss has not missed a game in each of the last four seasons.