The New Orleans Saints are always creative in structuring contracts so that they can easily find salary cap space later on down the road, but sometimes they have to ask veteran players to restructure their deals or simply take a pay cut. That was the case on Tuesday when the team approached two projected starters, linebacker Kiko Alsono and cornerback Patrick Robinson, to adjust their contracts.
The first restructuring came for Alonso, who NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported agreed to lower his $8.7 million salary cap hit by earning it back through bonuses for playing time — much preferable to being released and trying to land with a new team. The exact details are unknown at this point, but it’s a safe bet that Alonso’s $6.375 million in base salary will be greatly reduced. While it’ll be a challenge for him to play often after tearing his ACL in last season’s playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings, he is projected to start next to Demario Davis and Alex Anzalone.
ESPN’s Field Yates also reported that the Saints renegotiated their deal with Robinson, who was set to count $6.15 million against the salary cap. With just $2.5 million in dead money tied to the 2020 fiscal year, the Saints could have saved $3.65 million by cutting Robinson outright. Instead he’ll stick around as valuable depth and, for now, projected to start in the slot as the nickel corner behind Marshon Lattimore and Janoris Jenkins.
And more moves could be on the way as the Saints look to create additional salary cap space. They have agreed to terms on contract extensions with veterans like Drew Brees, David Onyemata, and Zach Wood, but will need more resources to re-sign other free agents. Keep an eye out for additional transactions.
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