The New Orleans Saints pulled off a coup on Monday by agreeing to terms on a contract extension with defensive tackle David Onyemata, one of the underrated free agents available. Reports from last week suggested Onyemata could earn $10 million or more annually on the open market; however, we now know that he accepted a slightly lower rate to stick around with the Saints.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported that Onyemata agreed to a three-year, $27 million contract with the Saints; ESPN’s Mike Triplett added that the deal includes $18 million guaranteed, meaning Onyemata will be a big part of the Saints defense for at least the next two years. For salary cap accounting purposes, the contract features a fourth year that will void automatically after the 2022 season.
That’s quite a bargain for the Saints, especially in the context of how the market is developing in free agency. Former Pittsburgh Steelers interior lineman Javon Hargrave agreed to a three-year, $39 million contract (and $26 million in guarantees) with the Philadelphia Eagles, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. San Francisco 49ers stalwarts Arik Armstead ($17 million per year from the 49ers) and DeForest Buckner ($21 million annually, after being traded to the Indianapolis Colts) each agreed to deals nearly double what Onyemata will be bringing in.
So this is a big win for the Saints, and for Onyemata, who has only been playing football since the middle of his college days (he picked up the game during his spare time at the University of Manitoba, having immigrated from Nigeria). But his instincts for the sport and high degree of athleticism have responded well to NFL coaching, and Onyemata should be seen as a rising talent in this league. He’ll certainly continue to play a big role for the Saints defense, which enters the 2020 season with the NFL’s longest active streak of 43 games played without allowing a 100-yard rusher..
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