Category: 2021 season

The Athletic suggests Saints as a prime Matthew Stafford trade destination

The Athletic’s Mike Sando listed the New Orleans Saints among a group of teams that make sense for Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford.

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Could Matthew Stafford be on the move in 2021? The Detroit Lions franchise quarterback could follow general manager Bob Quinn and coach Matt Patricia out the door after they were fired amid a spiraling 4-7 season, paving the way for a new regime and their handpicked passer to step in.

So how could the New Orleans Saints fit in? The Athletic’s Mike Sando listed the Saints among a group of teams that should make sense for Stafford in the spring, writing:

“Drew Brees, despite tossing 40 touchdown passes with four interceptions in his past 16 starts, is winding down physically and might not project as a full-season starter if he decides to keep playing. Sean Payton loves Taysom Hill, but does he really want to risk being stuck with a one-dimensional offense for the long-term if Hill does not develop? Jameis Winston is also on the roster, but his off-the-charts interception rate in Tampa was no aberration. Winston threw far too many picks in college as well. Stafford is the more appealing alternative if the Saints can keep open their championship window the next couple seasons.”

It makes sense, from a personnel perspective. Stafford is, like Brees, one of the most prolific passers in the NFL history (except for being nearly a decade younger, with fewer records to his name). He’s one of the few quarterbacks to join Brees in the 5,000 passing yards club, and he could open the Saints offense to a degree that hasn’t been seen in years with his arm strength and accuracy.

And the Saints have the weapons to set him up for success. With Michael Thomas leading the charge at wide receiver and two quality back in Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray, plus an offensive line filled with Pro Bowlers and a defense that’s finally put all the pieces together, Stafford just might be the best match New Orleans can hope for in 2021.

But there’s a catch, of course. Any team that trades for him next year must take on salary cap hits of about $10.1 million in 2021 and $18.05 million in 2022, leaving Detroit with a whopping $24.85 million in dead money to deal with. So prying him away, even if the Lions are motivated to open a vacancy on top of their depth chart, won’t be easy. The Saints would have to put together quite a trade package to pull it off.

But that might be the least of New Orleans’ hurdles. They’re already over the 2021 salary cap by a staggering margin, and will need plenty of creative accounting just to become cap-compliable. It can be done and has been done before, but it won’t be easy for the Saints. Adding Stafford to the equation just might be the 232-pound straw that breaks the camel’s back.

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Saints pick up fifth-year options on Marshon Lattimore and Ryan Ramczyk

The New Orleans Saints exercised fifth-year options for Marshon Lattimore and Ryan Ramczyk, keeping them both around for the 2021 season.

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The first members of the 2017 NFL Draft class have had their fifth-year options picked up for the 2021 season, and they both play for the New Orleans Saints. ESPN’s Field Yates reported Thursday that the Saints exercised the options for both cornerback Marshon Lattimore and right tackle Ryan Ramczyk, keeping them both under team contract control for the next two years and, crucially, buying more time to hammer out long-term contract extensions for both of them.

Lattimore and Ramczyk being the first members of their draft class to have their options activated speaks to how highly-regarded they both are in New Orleans. We estimated earlier this offseason how much these options will be worth in 2021, but those figures will heighten between now and then as new contracts are paid out around the league.

Lattimore, the 11th overall pick out of Ohio State back in 2017, has been voted into two Pro Bowl appearances in his first three years. He was also selected as the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Ramczyk, the 32nd overall pick from Wisconsin that year, has strangely been snubbed for each Pro Bowl since while earning recognition on the All-Pro list in both 2018 (on the second team) and 2019 (on the first team).

For a quick refresher: because neither Lattimore nor Ramczyk were picked within the first ten selections, their fifth-year option values will be determined by the average of the highest-paid players at their positions (specifically, the 3rd- to 25th-highest annual salaries). For now, that puts them in the ballpark of $11.6 million for Lattimore and $12.8 million for Ramczyk.

And, just to remind everyone: the Saints picking up these fifth-year options does nothing to affect either player’s 2020 salary cap hits. These were expected moves that should do a lot to keep the Saints competitive in the future.

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Four 2021 Saints free agents who need contract extensions this offseason

The New Orleans Saints must get ahead of the curve and work out new contract extensions for players like Alvin Kamara and Demario Davis.

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NFL free agency is just weeks away, and it’s time for the New Orleans Saints to get to work negotiating new deals with pending free agents. But their discussions aren’t limited to just the players whose contracts expire in March; they must also begin to look ahead to the 2021 offseason, getting ahead of the curve on growing markets while restructuring contracts to create more salary cap space. And some players, such as Marshon Lattimore and Ryan Ramczyk, have team options that must be triggered this summer (and they should be, without question).

Here are four 2021 Saints free agents who the Saints should consider signing to contract extensions sooner rather than later.

RB Alvin Kamara

The asking price for top-shelf running backs will only increase as new deals for Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry are handed out. Kamara will likely never be more affordable than he is right now, and the Saints can avoid a potential training camp holdout by signing him to an extension. Even when injured last year, he had the sixth-best yards per carry (4.7) among running backs who logged equal or greater total carries (171).

LB Demario Davis

Davis would be the best free agent signing in Saints history if not for Drew Brees. He’s an All-Pro talent on the field and a charismatic leader who takes charge both in the locker room and in his community. He’s everything you’d hope to add to your team when making this kind of investment. The Saints could lower his $9.9 million salary cap hit with a contract extension, retaining one of their best players for the rest of his career.

RG Larry Warford

Even if Warford may have taken a step back last season (Pro Football Focus rated his pass-blocking at 71.4, which is near the middle of the pack for guards), but he’s still a durable, positively-graded starter who’s played 91% or more of snaps in each of the last two years. Additionally, his 2020 salary cap hit is one of the highest on the team at $12.875 million, and the team could create a lot of breathing room by signing him to a new deal and converting much of his base salary into a signing bonus.

FS Marcus Williams

Williams is probably going to be the most controversial name on this list due to his high-profile gaffes, but he shouldn’t be. He was the best playmaker the Saints had in the secondary last year. He was the only Saints defender to intercept multiple passes (finishing the year with four). Depending on how contracts for talented safeties like Denver Broncos star Justin Simmons shake out, Williams could be in line for $15 million or more per year in 2021. The Saints need to get out in front of this development before they get priced out of a good player.

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