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The New Orleans Saints’ first-round draft pick Bryan Bresee (from Clemson) formally signed his rookie contract on Tuesday, per multiple reports. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports that it’s a four-year deal with a maximum value of $12,263,552 and is fully guaranteed for skill, injury, and salary cap purposes. KPRC 2 Houston’s Aaron Wilson adds that Bresee received a $5.918 million signing bonus.
As is the case for all first-round picks these days, Bresee’s deal also contains a fifth-year team option that would tie him to New Orleans through the 2027 season — but the Saints will have to make a decision on whether to exercise that option before the 2026 season, so Bresee will have three years to prove his worth.
Many of the Saints’ first-round picks to come before him had their options picked up without hesitation: Brandin Cooks, Andrus Peat, Sheldon Rankins, Marshon Lattimore, and Ryan Ramczyk. Marcus Davenport’s option was exercised to give him another shot, but he didn’t make much of the opportunity. The Saints could have picked up Eli Apple’s option after acquiring him in a trade with the New York Giants but wisely chose not to. They also declined the option for Cesar Ruiz, making him a free agent in 2024. It’s not looking good for Payton Turner whose option will be discussed next offseason.
This also means that just two of the Saints’ 2023 draft picks are not yet officially under contract: second-round defensive end Isaiah Foskey (Notre Dame) and fourth-round quarterback Jake Haener (Fresno State). Bresee joins their other rookie selections in putting pen to paper, so those last two signings should be quick to follow.
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