Is Paulson Adebo leaving the New Orleans Saints a foregone conclusion?
In a piece published Thursday, ESPN's Ben Solak named Adebo one of the "underrated" free agents in this year's class. He also suggested the New England Patriots could be a good landing spot for the 25-year-old cornerback, who is working his way back from a broken femur suffered last October.
"Teams with open CB2 spots that like to play press coverage should seek out Adebo," Solak wrote. "He'd be a great fit in Detroit if Davis leaves in free agency, and Kansas City should target him given its CB2 issues this season.
"If the Patriots aren't snagging a corner in the top five of the draft, Adebo also makes sense there opposite Christian Gonzalez. I like Adebo on a two-year deal worth $9 million per season, but with a structure that probably will lead to either a cut or an extension in 2026."
It's hard to envision the cap-strapped Saints retaining Adebo. In a separate piece, ESPN identified the Saints as one of the teams likely to be "quiet" in free agency.
As for Adebo, he's an intriguing player who could garner significant interest if teams are confident in his medicals. A third-round pick in 2021, Adebo posted four interceptions and 18 pass breakups in 2023 and racked up three picks and 10 PBUs in seven games last season before breaking his femur.
Saints Fans Will Hate This Sad-But-Fair ESPN Free Agency Prediction
With the worst salary cap situation in the NFL, the Saints could be in for a long and boring offseason.
In a piece published Thursday, ESPN identified New Orleans as one of the franchises that will be "quiet" in free agency, which starts next week.
"This one is fairly straightforward," ESPN wrote, "As the Saints currently sit $46 million over the cap. They'll get cap compliant by the time free agency starts, perhaps by restructuring quarterback Derek Carr's contract. But the point is that they need to stop spending new money. That has been true in years past, yet New Orleans kept on spending anyway."
ESPN Saints reporter Katherine Terrell also suggested most of New Orleans' internal free agents could join other teams.
"The Saints have 15 unrestricted agents this year, with Paulson Adebo, Chase Young and Juwan Johnson the most notable names," Terrell wrote. "Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said the team will still be active in free agency despite its tight salary cap situation. Loomis recently said Young and Adebo have been good players and that the Saints hope to have them back, but it will all depend on the money and what the new coaching staff sees in them."
Speaking of Adebo, ESPN's Ben Solak believes the young cornerback could leave the Saints to join the New England Patriots.
Nevertheless, there's some hope for offseason fireworks from the Saints, who own the ninth-overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Don't be surprised if they use it to target one of this year's top prospects.
