Saints salary cap space update after the latest signings and opt-outs

With the NFL’s deadline for players to opt out of the 2020 season come and gone, the New Orleans Saints now know exactly who they’ll be working with in training camp. They’ve also made their first wave of roster cuts to bring their numbers down to …

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With the NFL’s deadline for players to opt out of the 2020 season come and gone, the New Orleans Saints now know exactly who they’ll be working with in training camp. They’ve also made their first wave of roster cuts to bring their numbers down to the NFL-mandated 80 contracts, and added a veteran free agent or two.

So where does that place them against the salary cap?

Per ESPN’s Field Yates, the Saints are now ranked 25th in official cap space at just over $7.8 million (to be exact: $7,821,902). That includes transactions like the signing of wide receiver Bennie Fowler at the veteran’s minimum, and the opt-outs of tight ends Cole Wick and Jason Vander Laan.

But they aren’t finished just yet, because their deal with linebacker Nigel Bradham hasn’t been finalized and filed with the league office. Still, that shouldn’t drastically shift their salary cap outlook.

What will be most interesting to track in the coming months is whether the Saints choose to hammer out long-term extensions with upcoming free agents. Mainstays including linebacker Demario Davis, running back Alvin Kamara, and free safety Marcus Williams are all entering the final years of their contracts, as are tight end Jared Cook and quarterback Jameis Winston.

The trouble arises when you consider that the 2021 salary cap is expected to nosedive from its current ceiling ($198.2 million). The NFL anticipates big losses in revenue this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but negotiations with the NFL Players Association mean the cap will be set no lower than $175 million next year. That runs against the assumption the Saints have been working with over the last decade, which has put their faith in an always-increasing cap.

So they may not be able to keep everyone. Team leaders like safety Vonn Bell and running back Mark Ingram have left in recent years, partly due to the Saints working a little too tight to the salary cap (and also due to dubious advice from their agents). Will someone from the list above end up joining them?

One move the Saints may consider is rolling over unspent cap space into the next fiscal year. That would certainly help them maneuver the 2021 salary cap, but it may be preferable to get the jump on these contract situations while there’s still time. Working with limited resources is tough enough, but fighting those limitations and a ticking clock is a tall order.

 

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