Tag: saints free agency

ESPN: Chase Young open to Saints extension, but may ‘opt for stability’

It’s been previously reported that the Saints are open to re-signing Chase Young, and ESPN reports he’s open to it. But he may not accept another prove-it deal:

The New Orleans Saints have some interesting decisions to make when it comes to their 2025 free agency class. With 19 players set to be unrestricted free agents, there are a few near the top who are most definitely worth looking at retaining. One of those players is defensive end Chase Young, who had a solid season with the Saints in 2024, and according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, is open to sticking around:

“Young is open to a return to New Orleans, where he just played out a one-year deal — though a different defense could generate more sack opportunities for him. He might opt for stability over last year’s prove-it-deal status coming off a serious neck injury.”

In this article of the top 50 free agents, ESPN had ranked Young at No. 39 among his pending free agent peers.

Free agent contracts have always been nice to defensive ends, as their production can make or break a defense. In 2024, the top three DE-specific contracts had an average yearly value of $21.5 million (Leonard Williams), $19 million (Jonathan Greenard) and $14.5 million (Arik Armstead).

However 2025 is not as top heavy of a defensive end class, with Spotrac projecting the following yearly values for the top free agent DEs in 2025:

  • DeMarcus Lawrence: $12.0 million
  • Josh Sweat: $18.8 million
  • Chase Young: $17.5 million
  • Calais Campbell: $7.1 million

Re-signing Young will likely be a priority for the Saints, however doing so at a yearly rate of $17.5 million is quite the staggering price. It is doable, and the Saints may get a bit of a lower number if they go for a longer deal, but ultimately it will end up being a large contract whether he remains with the Saints or goes elsewhere.

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ESPN: Saints free agent could be one of the offseason’s biggest earners

ESPN suggests Paulson Adebo could be one of free agency’s top earners. The New Orleans Saints cornerback is seen as one of the three best free agents at his position:

The New Orleans Saints have a wide variety of free agents hitting the market in 2025, and one of the most notable ones when it comes to projected value is cornerback Paulson Adebo. As his rookie-scale contract ends, he will now have the chance to work towards a long-term full-size contract, and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN has contacts around the league who believe he may be one of the best available:

“Multiple teams consider Adebo a top-three corner in the free agency class based on ability and upside. Adebo had no complications from his surgery, which included a rod being placed in the broken bone — where there was a clean fracture — to stabilize it“

When it comes to being top-three at your position in a free agency class, that comes with expectations on a contract value as well. ESPN ranked Adebo No. 44 on their free agency list of the top 50 players, and No. 8 among cornerbacks, however clearly some teams view him more highly according to the quote from Fowler.

Cornerbacks in the 2024 offseason did not see any megadeals, but there were a few notable ones. The top three contracts by cornerbacks in the 2024 offseason were Chidobe Awuzie ($12 million per year), Kenny Moore ($10 million per year) and Sean Murphy-Bunting ($8.5 million per year).

When you look at four of the projected top earning cornerbacks in 2025, Spotrac has these average values for those players based on projections:

  • Byron Murphy: $22.1 million/year
  • Charvarius Ward: $15.3 million/year
  • D.J. Reed: $14.7 million/year
  • Carlton Davis: $13.8 million/year

Then when it comes to Paulson Adebo, they have him marked at a projected $11.1 million per year value. This is a pretty substantial payday coming off a major injury and having penalty woes for a few seasons, but his ball-hawking skills and coverage in many cases make up for it. Adebo has logged 43 passes defensed since he entered the league in 2021, tied with Murphy and Davis for 10th-most among corners. That matters to teams, and it’s sounding like Adebo is going to get paid because of it.

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Saints safety Will Harris ranked among the top-100 free agents of 2025

New Orleans Saints safety Will Harris has been listed as one of the top 100 pending free agents for the 2025 offseason by Pro Football Network:

The New Orleans Saints have a whopping 19 pending free agents entering the 2025 offseason, and bringing some back will be a key to success. One of the players who may be worth retaining is safety Will Harris, who had a very solid season for the Saints in 2024 and got significant playing time throughout the year. This success led to him being listed on the ProFootballNetwork top 100 pending free agents list for the 2025 offseason, coming in at No. 92. Here is what they had to say about Harris and his free agency:

“After five seasons in Detroit, Harris had a career-high five passes defended during his first season with the Saints. The former third-round pick doesn’t have much ball production otherwise, with just three career picks, but possesses the type of frame (6’1”, 207 pounds) that many defensive coordinators covet.

Harris has vacillated between safety and slot cornerback in his career, though he was primarily the former in 2024 (52% of his snaps came as a deep safety). Harris has played the majority of his snaps at safety in 2019, 2021, and 2024, while his other three seasons (2020, 2022, 2023) have seen him primarily line up in the slot.

The former third-round pick will play most of next season at age 29, but his uncertain positional home makes him a tough projection when it comes to locking down a long-term deal.”

In addition to that, he was listed as the fifth-best safety free agent in the upcoming offseason, behind only Justin Reid, Harrison Smith, Trevon Moehrig, and Julian Blackmon. It is clear that he is valued relatively highly by the PFN crew, and after a season like he had in 2024, it is a valid belief as he enters free agency once again to find a team to play for in 2025.

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Paulson Adebo slots in at No. 28 on PFN’s 2025 free agency rankings

New Orleans Saints cornerback Paulson Adebo ranked among the 30 best free agents for 2025 by PFN, and top-five at his position group:

The New Orleans Saints have a few priority free agents in the 2025 offseason, who are now going to be hitting the open market pending any re-signings prior to the Mar. 13 deadline.

One of the higher-priority free agents from that group for the Saints is cornerback Paulson Adebo. ProFootballNetwork recently released their top 100 free agents rankings for the 2025 offseason, and among them was Adebo, who came in at No. 28 on the list. Their reasoning for his ranking is as follows:

“When you factor in age, it is easy to make the case that Paulson Adebo could sign the biggest contract among cornerbacks in years and value this offseason. He is coming off a season in which he allowed just a 71.9 passer rating against and had three interceptions. The year before, he allowed a 62.7 passer rating and intercepted four passes on 100 targets.

However, he played just seven games in 2024 before breaking his femur and requiring surgery. That caps his upside a little and may make teams hesitant to sign him to a big deal. Additionally, Adebo had nine flags thrown against him in those seven games, with six of them being for defensive pass interference and the other three for defensive holding.

The numbers are certainly tantalizing in terms of Adebo’s upside, but there are also enough factors to create hesitation this offseason. We could see Adebo sign a short-term deal this offseason before hitting the open market again in a year or two when he will hopefully be fully healthy.”

Additionally, Adebo ranked out as the fourth-best cornerback in their rankings, behind Byron Murphy, D.J. Reed, and Carlton Davis. He will be one of the intriguing dominos to watch fall this offseason, as whether he returns to the Saints or not, he will be a quality piece on whatever team he signs with.

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Saints free agent preview: OL Oli Udoh, stay or go?

Previewing free agency for the New Orleans Saints: Should they retain left guard Oli Udoh, or let him walk in the 2025 offseason?

The New Orleans Saints offseason is nearly upon us, as the Super Bowl grows ever nearer and the time for free agent signings follows shortly after. The Saints are in a tough position with the salary cap once again, and have lots of decisions to make when it comes to the roster and unrestricted free agents, as they have 19 in the upcoming free agent class.

One such player is depth offensive lineman Olisaemeka Udoh, who ended up playing at multiple points for the Saints this season including a start as well. He was strong in his performances at times, and may make for an intriguing decision this offseason.

With that said here is his career stats so far, as well as some pertinent information regarding this season:

Career Stats

Over the course of his six year career, Oli Udoh has had 1,492 pass blocking snaps, and in that span has given up 3 sacks, 56 pressures, and has had 22 penalties, accruing a 96.6% pass blocking efficiency rate. While this is not among the elite of the elite at his position, it is a solid rating, and ultimately is indicative of solid play from someone who has been a spot starter most of his career so far.

Snap Counts

Here are the offensive snap breakdowns for each of his seasons so far, only including games he played in:

  • 2019: 63% (31 snaps, 1 game played)
  • 2020: 1% (4)
  • 2021: 94% (1076)
  • 2022: 11% (131)
  • 2023: 37% (45 snaps, 2 games played)
  • 2024: 16% (149)

2024 season review

2024 was another one of the spot starting seasons for Oli Udoh, as he was active for 14 games, and played in nine, including one start at left guard against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 17. In 2024 he gave up only 1 sack, 5 pressures, and had 3 penalties in his 149 snaps. This was not perfect, and worthy of a 96.1% pass block efficiency rate, but he was solid when he was asked to come in. He was exactly what you would ask for from a depth guard, and nothing more. He lined up at left tackle for 11 reps, right guard on 7 snaps, and right tackle 6 times.

Stay or go?

Ultimately offensive line depth is very hit or miss, you get good seasons and bad seasons, and this was a solid season for Udoh in very limited playing time. The Saints likely do not have much of an opportunity to offer to Udoh beyond this season with the offensive line mostly solidified, and he may find a better offer elsewhere to be a rotational guard or depth piece. If the Saints can get him back on a cheap deal to be a backup guard that is completely fine, but he will likely be offered a deal elsewhere that can offer slightly more playing time. He followed his former offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak to the Saints and could do so again in going to the Seattle Seahawks.

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Report: Saints have ‘open mind’ to bring back last year’s biggest signing

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports the New Orleans Saints may be keeping an “open mind” to bringing back defensive end Chase Young this offseason

The New Orleans Saints are entering an offseason where they have 19 pending free agents, which leaves them with a lot of decisions to make. One of the higher-priority free agents that they should be looking to bring back is defensive end Chase Young, who had a solid 2024 season and looked to be a quality player on the defensive side of the ball at many points.

While the price tag may be high, Jeremy Fowler reports for ESPN that the Saints are keeping an “open mind” to signing him back beyond 2024:

“Young, the No. 2 pick in 2020, is still searching for his first double-digit-sack season. But he’s 25 and has big-time ability. The Saints, who signed him to a one-year deal last offseason, have had an open mind about signing him beyond 2024.”

This is an interesting development, and while somewhat expected due to Young’s high level of play, it is nice to see the Saints feel the same way about retaining him. It will no doubt be a competitive market, however with the Saints capabilities to clear cap space, and desperate need for a youth movement, bringing Young back seems like a no-brainer. If the Saints can fit him in their budget, that is.

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Chase Young ranked top-25 by PFN among 2025 pending free agents

New Orleans Saints defensive end Chase Young ranks No. 24 among the 2025 free agency class, according to Pro Football Network:

The New Orleans Saints have quite a few pending free agents, but maybe none more important than defensive end Chase Young. In the recent installation of the top 100 free agents put out by ProFootballNetwork, they ranked every 2025 pending free agent.

On this list were three Saints players, and Chase Young was the first of the bunch, coming in at No. 24 in the rankings. Their evaluation of him was as follows:

“Chase Young appears to be getting better as his NFL career goes on, with back-to-back years with 66 pressures and pressure rates of 14.7% and 14.6% in those two seasons. He was not as impactful in terms of sacks in 2024 as he was in 2023, but 5.5 sacks are still very respectful.

One element where Young deserves a lot of respect is that he plays a lot of snaps, with 697 this year after 699 last year. Among defensive ends, that 697 ranks 16th, but within that group, only Trey Hendrickson has a lower tackle rate than Young’s 7.8%. Young may not be the star he was drafted to be, but he is a very solid pass rusher who has proven to be very durable in the last couple of years.”

Young also ranks in third among edge rushers on this list, behind only Josh Sweat and Khalil Mack who are first and second respectively. He is being viewed very highly in this free agency cycle after taking a one year “prove it” deal with the Saints. It seems to have worked out if this is any indication.

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Saints free agent preview: LB Willie Gay Jr, stay or go?

Previewing free agency for the New Orleans Saints: Should they retain linebacker Willie Gay Jr., or let him walk in the 2025 offseason?

The New Orleans Saints are nearing the offseason as the Super Bowl is the only playoff game left to be played and a head coach search reaching its end. With that behind them they will have the chance to work on signing free agents where possible, fixing the cap even further, and trying to retain some of their key contributors. With 19 unrestricted free agents this offseason, they have some decisions to make on who to keep and who to let walk this year, especially if they want to start pursuing other players instead.

We have the chance to talk about one such pending free agent: linebacker Willie Gay Jr. He was a 2024 offseason signing the Saints brought in on a one-year deal to compete with Pete Werner for the starting linebacker spot next to Demario Davis. Ultimately Werner won out and took many of the snaps available.

With that in mind, here is how Gay’s career has gone so far, and some of the pertinent information regarding his season:

Career Stats

Overall Gay has been a strong producer on defense for a few years, with 2022 likely being his best season of the bunch. In that season he had 88 total tackles (51 solo, 37 assisted), a pick-six on a 47 yard return, 8 pass deflections, 9 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery. 2023 he saw decreases in most categories which led to the Kansas City Chiefs letting him walk in free agency, and the Saints picking him up.

In his four seasons with the Chiefs he had 47 starts (in 57 games played), with 233 total tackles, 4 interceptions for 85 yards and 1 touchdown, 19 pass deflections, 17 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, and 5 sacks.

Snap Counts

Here is Gay’s defensive snap count for each season of his career, only including games he played in:

  • 2020: 25% (267)
  • 2021: 57% (437)
  • 2022: 69% (608)
  • 2023: 62% (624)
  • 2024: 27% (277)

2024 season review

As you can see, there was a significant drop-off from his Chiefs days to his Saints days in terms of snaps on defense, and that is largely because the Saints did not really use a third linebacker often the last few seasons. This led to a less than productive season for Gay who had 28 tackles, 3 pass deflections, 1 forced fumble with 2 fumble recoveries, 2 sacks and 2 tackles for loss. Overall he just did not get the utilization some thought he may, and that is largely because Pete Werner took the second linebacker role for his own and produced there.

Stay or go?

Overall it is hard to envision a role for Gay with Demario Davis and Pete Werner on the roster. While it would be nice to have him as a depth third option for more than one season, it is hard to ask that of a 27-year-old entering the prime of his athletic career who will want more playing time. Keeping him around would be a great option no doubt, but the Saints need to make up as much cap space as they can, and Gay may be better suited elsewhere where he can see more playing time. It makes sense to let him walk and find a greater opportunity for himself.

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Saints have three of PFN’s top 100 pending free agents in 2025

Three New Orleans Saints players were ranked among the top 100 pending free agents for the 2025 offseason by Pro Football Network:

The New Orleans Saints offseason is going to be an intriguing one, as they have 19 pending unrestricted free agents who will hit the market as of this juncture. With that said, three of those free agents were ranked in the top 100 2025 pending free agents list by ProFootballNetwork. These three may not surprise any Saints fans, however, a notable omission was tight end Juwan Johnson, who did not end up making the cut despite the positional scarcity.

The three who did make the list were as follows:

  • DE Chase Young: No.24
  • CB Paulson Adebo: No.28
  • S Will Harris: No. 92

These were probably the three free agents that had the largest impact on the Saints roster this year, so it does make sense that they were the three representing the team on this list. Young and Adebo were ranked quite highly, both of whom have had good seasons in recent years so that is logically sound. Harris had a good season with the Saints in 2024 and somewhat of a bounce back from some less than optimal years, and while top 100 is decently high, his reps were solid enough to warrant his inclusion.

As for why Johnson was snubbed from this list, it seems like 2023 and 2024 mattered heavily in the rankings, and he has never truly had a breakout season perse, mostly remaining consistent but never great. While he has been solid at times, it is hard to argue him over most of the players included in the rankings.

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Saints free agent preview: FB Adam Prentice, stay or go?

Previewing free agency for the New Orleans Saints: Should they retain fullback Adam Prentice, or let him walk in the 2025 offseason?

The New Orleans Saints are in somewhat of an intriguing position this offseason, with their head coach and offensive coordinator positions in flux they have some work to do coaching wise. But on top of that, they also have quite a few free agents to discuss and figure out whether or not they want to retain them or let them walk.

One of those free agents is fullback Adam Prentice, who has played in 48 games with the Saints since 2021. While his rushing value is not particularly high, his blocking value is something worth noting for the Saints and their new coaching staff.

With that said, here is his career in a nutshell so far, and some key statistics of his:

Career Stats

Prentice has never much been used in the run game, only having 9 rush attempts for 26 yards (2.9 yards per rush) and 6 first downs. He also has 8 receptions on 13 targets for 37 yards (4.6 yards per reception) and 2 first downs. He also has two offensive fumbles in that span, though none came in 2024.

He does get quite a bit of playing time with the special teams room, having 16 tackles in his career, 10 of which being solo and 6 being assisted. When it comes to pass blocking, he has had 67 opportunities in pass blocking, and has only allowed 1 sack and 1 pressure, good for a 98.5% blocking efficiency rate. This translates to run blocking as well, as he often lines up staggered to one side and covers the gaps for the running back. Overall he provides good value in this category, and this is why he has been on the team for four seasons.

Snap Counts

Here are the offensive and special teams snap counts for each season of Prentice’s career, only including games he played in:

2021: Offense 24% (106), Special teams 49% (94)

2022: Offense 18% (120), Special teams 46% (126)

2023: Offense 15% (125), Special teams 39% (137)

2024: Offense 25% (272), Special teams 48% (218)

2024 season review

2024 was one of the better years of Prentice’s career to this point, getting substantial snap counts both on offense and special teams, playing in all 17 games and even starting seven of them (more than the other 3 seasons of his career combined for starts). While he did not have any receptions on four attempts, and did not have any rush attempts, it was a very strong blocking season for him, with only 1 sack and 1 pressure allowed on 29 pass blocking opportunities (96.6% block efficiency rate). Additionally he had no penalties during the season, which is a positive for someone on special teams and in the blocking game.

Stay or go?

To be completely honest the fullback position is one that is either utilized a ton or not at all, and that depends on the head coach. While the Saints head coach position is not resolved as of the writing of this article, having a quality blocker is a good thing one way or another. Prentice has experience with this offense, has produced at a good level in the blocking game, and likely has a few good years of doing so ahead of him. While he is not a huge needle moving signing, keeping him around on a one- or two-year deal to do his job effectively is a good idea for New Orleans.

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