An already-difficult New Orleans Saints offensive line outlook got a little more complicated on Wednesday. Veteran left guard James Hurst announced his retirement after a decade in the NFL, opening a void next to an already-open spot at left tackle. But the Saints weren’t exactly caught by surprise, and the salary cap impact will be minimal.
This may have been broadcast earlier this offseason. Hurst agreed to a pay cut in March that lowered his cap hit from $6.5 million to just $2.97 million, giving up most of his base salary as well as some bonuses. Hurst told NewOrleans.Football’s Mike Triplett that he previously told the team about his intentions to retire, so that was all part of the plan. But what happens next now that he’s retiring?
It depends on how the Saints want to handle it. If they process Hurst’s retirement now, it’ll leave behind more than $2.2 million in dead money while saving just $688,000 against the cap. But if they wait until after June 1 to process his retirement then they’ll defer some of those dead money charges into 2025 while saving up to $1.21 million this year. That’s the same tactic they’ve taken with previous retirements for Drew Brees and Malcolm Jenkins.
Getting another $1.21 million in June would be helpful; the Saints are already expecting some returns for releasing Michael Thomas and Jameis Winston as post-June 1 cuts, and those salary cap resources can be used to sign rookie draft picks or bring in veteran free agents. It’s all part of the puzzle that Mickey Loomis and Khai Harley are putting together in the front office.
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