Dec 21, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor (1) reacts to making a tackle against New York Jets quarterback Brady Cook (not pictured) during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Saints Star Lands $77 Million Free Agency Projection

Originally posted on New Orleans Saints on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Feb 19, 2026 4:03 PM ET

The New Orleans Saints have one of the better pending free agents in all of football right now.

Free agency won't officially open until March and for the Saints, one guy to watch out for will be cornerback Alontae Taylor. The Athletic has Taylor ranked as the No. 18 overall free agent in this year's class and projected that he will land a four-year, $77 million deal.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

"Alontae Taylor," The Athletic wrote. "Contract projection: 4 years, $77 million. Age: 27 Height: 6-1 Weight: 199. Taylor is a tall, long, fast corner with inside-outside flexibility and a press-man skill set. He is a physical, tenacious run defender, which allowed him to fill the star/nickel role in coordinator Brandon Staley’s Saints defense. In 2025, he played 52.3 percent of his snaps in the slot, but Taylor also has considerable experience on the outside. He was an outside corner in base packages this past season.

The Saints cornerback is one of the most intriguing pending free agents

"Taylor has loose hips. He is a fluid athlete with the speed to mirror routes down the field. He has elite acceleration to close gaps when receivers create initial separation at the top of routes. Taylor has 52 passes defended since he joined the league in 2022, fourth-most over that span."

That's a lot of cash. The Saints are actually in a better position from a salary cap perspective than they have been over the last few years, Keeping Taylor would be a good move, but that price arguably is a bit too high. The Saints have Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley. Keeping Taylor would be great, but there are other holes on the roster. If the $77 million price is accurate, it may make sense to spend a fraction of that on a different corner.

It would be tough to see Taylor go, but there are multiple holes to fill this offseason and this price point would be a bit high.

More NFL: Saints Could Make a Splash by Targeting Bears’ DJ Moore

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

More must-reads: