Saints Officially Signing First-Rounder To $27.7 Million Deal

The New Orleans Saints officially signed their man.

New Orleans made a somewhat surprising pick at No. 9 in the 2025 National Football League Draft. The Saints opted to take offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. despite rumors about possibly taking an offensive weapon. 

Banks is no slouch, though. This is a guy who can dominate in the trenches and significantly improve the team’s offensive line right away. The Saints officially signed him on Friday to a lucrative four-year, $27.7 million deal, as shared by the team.

"New Orleans Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis announced today that the club has signed tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., linebacker Danny Stutsman, cornerback Quincy Riley, running back Devin Neal, tight end Moliki Matavao and edge Fadil Diggs to four-year contracts," the team announced. "Banks, 6-5, 315, was the Saints' first pick (ninth overall) in the 2025 NFL Draft out of the University of Texas. The Humble, Texas native arrives after three seasons with the Longhorns, where he started all 42 games at left tackle for a squad that made two College Football Playoff appearances and went 25-5 over the last two campaigns.

"In 2024, Banks was the Lombardi Trophy Winner, Outland Trophy winner and was a unanimous first team All-American for a Longhorns team that advanced to the SEC Championship game and semifinals of the College Football Playoff."

The next generation of Saints stars are here and it’s going to be interesting to see how quicly they can impact winning in New Orleans.

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