Nov 23, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis during the Jimmy Graham retirement at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Saints Quietly Set Up for Potentially Explosive Offseason

Originally posted on New Orleans Saints on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Feb 16, 2026 5:01 PM ET

If you're a New Orleans Saints fan excited for the 2026 season ahead, just wait. There's more.

New Orleans went 5-4 with Tyler Shough as the team's starting quarterback across the team's final nine games of the 2025 season. The excitement around Shough and the team as a whole is tangible. There's more buzz around the franchise at this moment than at any point over the last few seasons.

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It's a lot of pressure to put on the young signal-caller, but he looked like a legit starting quarterback in the second half of the 2025 season, Chris Olave looked like a superstar and the defense was tough for opposing offenses to figure out. If the Saints play their cards right, there is no reason for them not to be in contention for the top spot in the division in 2026. New Orleans beat the Carolina Panthers twice with Shough under center and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers once.

The Saints have an important offseason ahead

There's a lot of hope for the Saints with the roster as is. New Orleans will have a chance to add even more, as well. New Orleans is in a better position based on the salary cap at this moment than it has been seemingly in years. Right now, the Saints are just over $6 million over the salary cap, per Over The Cap. New Orleans will have to get into compliance before the new league year, but that's seemingly nothing in comparison to past years. There was a time shortly after the 2024 season ended that the Saints were over $50 million over the salary cap and it took some gymnastics to get the cap in order.

The Saints restructured deals and freed up enough cash to bring back Chase Young and Juwan Johnson, while also signing Justin Reid. Now, the Saints are in a much better position. John Sigler of Saints Wire noted that the team can create up to $64 million or even $80.8 million in salary cap space, if they get aggressive.

"Now we know how the mechanics work," Sigler wrote. "What does it mean for the Saints in 2026? If they only used simple restructures, the team could open up to $64 million. That would get them into the clear with about $40 million to spend on new contracts. If they really push the envelope and go with max restructures? That number climbs to $80.8 million, which is more than enough to overhaul the roster. It's an opportunity to aggressively surround Tyler Shough with high-end talent and compete on the open market. The question is whether the Saints should seize that opportunity with both hands or take a more cautious approach."

The Saints need to add a high-end receiver, a running back, at least one corner and multiple pass rushers this offseason. It also wouldn't hurt to add a guard as well. Fortunately, it sounds like there are pathways to plenty of salary cap space for the franchise.

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This article first appeared on New Orleans Saints on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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