What are the New Orleans Saints going to do this offseason in order to get under the cap?
New Orleans is currently in a tough spot. The Saints won five games in 2024 and currently are last in the league in cap space at over -$47 million in cap space, per Over The Cap. It's going to be a long offseason full of speculation and rumors.
ESPN's Dan Graziano took a look at each team's current cap situation and discussed possibilities for each franchise. For the Saints, he said there could be "painful decisions" on the way while specifically talking about team legend Cameron Jordan.
"Quarterback Derek Carr is set to make $40 million this season," Graziano said. "Of that, $10 million is already guaranteed and the remaining $30 million becomes guaranteed in mid-March. His cap number is over $51 million. To knock that down, the Saints might need to extend him, but they could save $30 million on this year's cap if they made him a post-June 1 cut.
"Also worth watching is the situation with Cameron Jordan, who's a beloved longtime Saint and has told me he wants to finish his career in New Orleans. Jordan turns 36 in July, has one year left on his contract and is carrying a cap number of roughly $20 million for 2025. Is there an extension that makes sense for Jordan? And if not, is it possible they make him a post-June 1 cut to save $11 million on this year's cap. Some hard and potentially painful decisions lie ahead for New Orleans."
Hopefully, the Saints find a way to fix their cap situation without cutting ties with Jordan.
If the Saints do the unthinkable and cut Cameron Jordan, there's 3 teams that make a lot of sense for him
The NFL is a business and sometimes the business moves that teams make really suck. The New Orleans Saints might be in that type of situation with Cameron Jordan this offseason.
The 35 year old Jordan has been with the Saints since 2011. That's 14 seasons, a really long time to be with one team. It's pretty rare in sports these days.
He has said that he wants to be back with the Saints for a 15th season and eventually retire in New Orleans, but the Saints, who have the worst cap situation in the league, really need to free up cash.
Cutting Jordan with a Post June 1st designation would give the Saints $11 million in cap space and would really help them in the offseason. They're not going to go out and make splash signings or anything like that, but this move and a few others would help.
If the Saints do make the move, there are three spots that make a ton of sense for Jordan to wind up. Let's talk about them:
Detroit Lions
The Lions are a team that needs edge rusher help and/or edge rusher depth. They're likely to get a little younger at the position in the draft and having someone like Jordan around would drastically help the younger guys learn on the job. Jordan could go out there and start or share the role with Za'Darius Smith and a rookie and he'd be in good shape to have a chance to win his first Super Bowl. Plus he spent five seasons with Dan Campbell in New Orleans.
Chicago Bears
This one makes a lot of sense too. Jordan spent 10 years with new Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen in New Orleans and he knows the system that Allen will look to install in Chicago. It would be a very easy transition to make. Plus the Bears could use some help on their young defensive line, Jordan would be a good mentor with plenty to offer on the field too.
New York Jets
Maybe a bit of a longshot since the Jets are pretty set on their defensive line, but the familiarity with Aaron Glenn could get Jordan to the Big Apple. The Jets defense did struggle a bit last year and they could use all the help they could get, even if their line seems ready to go.
