New Orleans Saints

After the NFL officially set the salary cap for next season, the New Orleans Saints are getting to work trying to clear space by reportedly releasing linebacker Kwon Alexander. 

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Alexander is expected to be released "in the coming days" to save New Orleans $13 million against the 2021 cap. 

In a memo from the league to teams obtained by Albert Breer of The MMQB, the salary cap for next season has been set at $182.5 million. 

New Orleans is currently $47.7 million over the cap before factoring in the savings from Alexander's contract. The Los Angeles Rams are the only other team more than $30 million over the cap. 

The Saints announced on Tuesday that they were using the franchise tag designation on safety Marcus Williams. He will earn $10.612 million guaranteed in 2021 unless the two sides work out a long-term extension, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. 

Per Rapoport, Malcolm Jenkins and Andrus Peat reworked their deals to save the team $9.4 million. Drew Brees renegotiated his contract last month to save the Saints $24 million against the cap. 

Alexander was acquired by the Saints last November in a midseason trade with the San Francisco 49ers. He appeared in seven games after the deal before tearing his Achilles in Week 16 against the Minnesota Vikings. Rapoport noted the 26-year-old is expected back for the start of training camp. 

In six NFL seasons, Alexander has recorded 471 combined tackles and 8.5 sacks in 66 games with three different teams. 

The New Orleans Saints placed the the franchise tag on safety Marcus Williams ahead of Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The 24-year-old has been a crucial piece of the Saints defense since joining as a second-round pick in 2017. Across four seasons, the Utah product started all but four games for New Orleans. 

In 2020, Williams posted 59 tackles, seven passes defended and three interceptions in 14 regular-season games. A year earlier, he tied a career high with four interceptions, including one pick-six. 

The California native's 13 career interceptions is tied for 10th in the Saints' history books, along with Mike McKenzie and Fred Thomas, according to John Sigler of SaintsWire. 

Williams counted for $2 million against the cap in 2020, and after playing out his four-year, $6.2 million rookie deal, he was in line to test free agency for the first time in his career. However, he is now reportedly the recipient of the franchise tag.

Of course, the two sides will still have the opportunity to potentially work out a long-term deal.

Cornerback Marshon Lattimore made three Pro Bowls in his first four seasons with the New Orleans Saints, and they reportedly want to make sure he continues doing so in their uniform.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Saints are looking to clear cap space in part so they can sign the Ohio State product to a long-term contract extension:

It is no surprise that New Orleans wants to keep Lattimore around as it chases a Super Bowl.

The 24-year-old has already surpassed expectations, even though the team selected him with the No. 11 overall pick of the 2017 NFL draft. He was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in his first season with a career-best five interceptions and quickly established himself as the No. 1 cornerback in the secondary.

Lattimore made the Pro Bowl as a rookie and in each of the last two seasons, which is particularly impressive considering he faces some of the league's best wide receivers every year. He has battled pass-catching groups that include Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley and more while helping lead the Saints to the playoffs in each of his four seasons.

Unfortunately, New Orleans has not advanced past the NFC Championship Game in any of those years despite being on the short list of title contenders. That isn't Lattimore's fault, but there are questions about how much longer the current core has together with 42-year-old quarterback Drew Brees' future in the air.

Keeping Lattimore, who is currently heading into the final year of his contract, will help the Saints compete both in the immediate future and seasons down the line.

The New Orleans Saints are bringing back running back Ty Montgomery.

The team announced Saturday it agreed to terms with Montgomery on a one-year contract ahead of free agency.

Montgomery signed with the Saints as a free agent in May. A hamstring injury landed him on injured reserve early in the 2020 season, but he played six games during the regular season and in New Orleans' playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The 28-year-old Stanford product wasn't used frequently by head coach Sean Payton, producing 128 yards from scrimmage on 22 touches and adding two kickoff returns for 57 yards in Week 16 against the Minnesota Vikings.

The Saints are stacked at running back with Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray as their top two options. Montgomery and Dwayne Washington split time as the No. 3 back.

Since entering the NFL in 2015 as a third-round draft pick by the Green Bay Packers, Montgomery has been a Swiss army knife. He's split time between running back and wide receiver and has been effective in both roles with 2,145 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns on 366 touches.

The New Orleans Saints reportedly agreed to restructured contracts with defensive end Cameron Jordan and linebacker Demario Davis ahead of the NFL's new league year March 17.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported Saturday the reworked deals will save the Saints $13.4 million toward the 2021 salary cap.

No team entered the offseason in a more dire cap situation than New Orleans.

The Saints have made progress, but Spotrac places them $58.9 million over the top-51 cap based on a $185 million cap projection.

Their front office is also contending with continued uncertainty about quarterback Drew Brees, whose contract includes a $12.3 million cap hit for 2021.

Although there was strong speculation before the Super Bowl that the 42-year-old was set to retire, he's yet to confirm that. His trainer, Todd Durkin, caused a stir last week when he posted a video of the future Hall of Famer going through an intense workout.

His decision will have a major trickle-down effect on the Saints' offseason since the team would likely want to bring in a proven signal-caller to compete with Taysom Hill if Brees retires, and the QB market is typically an expensive one.

In January, New Orleans general manager Mickey Loomis called the cap challenge "daunting" but said the organization still planned to remain in the Super Bowl conversation.

"We've got a great roster, and I can't foresee a circumstance where we're not going to say, 'We're going to do everything we can to win, win now and compete for a championship,'" Loomis said. "But again, it's difficult to really get into specifically what we need to do until we get more information."

Retaining Jordan and Davis while shaving a chunk off the 2021 cap number is a good step.

Jordan, 31, has spent his entire career with the Saints since being selected in the first round in 2011. He's recorded 94.5 sacks in 160 games, including five seasons with double-digit sacks.

Davis, 32, signed with New Orleans as a free agent in 2018. He's tallied over 100 tackles each of the past three years to go along with 21 passes defended and 13 sacks in 48 games.

Both players should remain key pieces for the Saints defense in 2021.

The New Orleans Saints and Jameis Winston are reportedly not close to agreeing to a new contract as the start of free agency draws near. 

"The Saints want him back, potentially to compete or be their starting quarterback," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said Wednesday. "It sounds like he wants to come back. They have not come close, even close, to agreeing to terms on a deal."

Winston signed a one-year, $1.1 million contract with the Saints last offseason, taking a significant pay cut to learn under Drew Brees and Sean Payton. He played only 5 percent of the team's offensive snaps, going 7-of-11 for 75 passing yards, and the Saints chose to start Taysom Hill over Winston when Brees went down with a rib injury.

Payton told reporters last month that he'd like the Saints to re-sign Winston "sooner than later," adding:  

 "Jameis Winston, we know. We had a year with him. He was fantastic as a leader. He's got tremendous arm talent. He's a young prospect that we like a lot. When you have a player for a season, he's kind of giving you a chance to see what he's about, and there's a little bit of an audition there. But the same audition takes place for us. He's getting a chance to see, 'Hey, this is how they do it here. Does this fit me? Does this head coach, this position coach? Is this a place I feel comfortable playing?'"

While the Saints would like to bring Winston back, their cap constraints could make that difficult.

New Orleans is currently $64.1 million over the projected 2021 cap, which will lead to the purging of several high-profile veterans from the roster. Getting under the cap will be an unenviable task in and of itself, let alone carving out enough space to sign Winston unless he's willing to make a minimal salary again in 2021.

Winston will almost certainly want a sizable raise, and he has the NFL bonafides to justify an eight-figure salary. His returning at a discount will likely require some sort of guarantee from Payton that he has the leg up on Hill in the battle to replace Brees as the Saints' starting quarterback.

Otherwise, Winston might bolt for a situation where he'll be paid more.  

New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Malcom Brown could be on the move this offseason.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said Tuesday that the team has "had trade conversations" regarding the veteran defensive tackle, who spent four seasons with the New England Patriots before joining the Saints in 2019. 

Since Brown is entering the final year of a three-year, $15 million contract, the move would save the team about $5 million, per Rapoport. 

Through two seasons with the Saints, Brown appeared in 29 games and made 61 tackles (nine for loss) with three sacks and a fumble recovery. 

After being drafted by the Patriots with the No. 32 pick out of Texas in 2015, Brown appeared in all but four regular-season games over four seasons and won two Super Bowls with the franchise.

New Orleans' salary-cap situation is dire. Per Over the Cap, the Saints are $69.7 million over the $180.5 million projected cap. While moving Brown would start to make a small dent in the payroll, it would also leave the team wide-open at the position. 

Sheldon Rankins, who started 12 games at the position in 2020, can enter free agency after having played five years with the Saints. 

Whether it's with Brown or not, the Saints will have to make a number of moves once the new league year begins on March 17 to get under the salary cap. 

New Orleans Saints star Cameron Jordan can see a world in which Russell Wilson ends up as his teammate. 

Appearing on ESPN's Get Up, Jordan said it would depend on the cost in a trade, but he can "very much envision" Wilson wearing a Saints uniform amid trade rumors involving the eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback (starts at 4:55 mark):

Wilson's agent, Mark Rodgers, told ESPN's Adam Schefter last week that his client hasn't requested a trade from the Seattle Seahawks. 

Rodgers also noted that Wilson would only approve a deal to the Saints, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders if a trade were to happen. 

There has reportedly been some apparent disconnect between Wilson and the Seahawks dating back to the 2020 regular season. 

Michael-Shawn Dugar, Mike Sando and Jayson Jenks of The Athletic reported last week that Wilson "stormed out of the room" prior to a Nov. 19 game against the Arizona Cardinals when head coach Pete Carroll and the other coaches "dismissed" his suggestions to help the offense at a time when they were struggling. 

Wilson said on The Dan Patrick Show last month that wants to be more involved in personnel decisions with the Seahawks. 

"At the end of the day, it's your legacy, your team's legacy. ... It helps to be involved more. That dialogue should happen more often," he said. 

The Saints could be in the market for a new quarterback in 2021. Drew Brees has yet to officially announce his plans, but it's expected he will retire after ESPN's Mike Triplett reported on Feb. 5 he agreed to rework his deal that reduces his salary next season to the veteran's minimum ($1.075 million) and clear $24 million in cap space for the team.

New Orleans has been one of the best teams in the NFC since the start of 2017. The organization has won four consecutive NFC South titles but has been unable to reach the Super Bowl in any of those seasons. 

Wilson threw for 4,212 yards and a career-high 40 touchdowns for the Seahawks in 2020. 

The major question heading into the 2021 season for the New Orleans Saints is the future of the quarterback position, with Drew Brees expected to retire. 

He hasn't announced that retirement though, so much remains up in the air, including whether the team will bring back Jameis Winston to fight for the starting spot with Taysom Hill. According to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, Hill remains the front-runner to win the gig:

"Assuming [Brees] retires, the cap-strapped Saints may just sit tight with Hill and Winston, who is a free agent but should be fairly cheap. One source predicted the Saints will start the season with Hill, and if he doesn't work out, they can return him to the super utility role and go with Winston. If Winston has a higher market than expected, the Saints can perhaps turn to [Jacoby] Brissett, [Teddy] Bridgewater, or Ryan Fitzpatrick as the veteran backup."

Hill, 30, threw for 928 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions last season, completing 72.7 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 457 yards and eight scores and caught eight passes for 98 yards and another touchdown.

As the starting quarterback, he went 3-1 on the season, getting the nod over Winston when Brees was out injured. 

Winston made four appearances but threw just 11 passes on the year for 75 yards. His last full season as a starter was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and it was a wildly inconsistent showing, with Winston throwing for 5,109 yards and 33 scores but also adding a whopping 30 interceptions, taking 47 sacks and completing just 60.7 percent of his passes. 

If ever there was an offseason to replace Brees (again, if he actually retires), this is an intriguing one. Dak Prescott could possibly hit free agency, though the Dallas Cowboys will almost assuredly use the franchise tag to keep him around if they don't find common ground on a long-term extension. Trade buzz has circulated around Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson, two players who would be upgrades over Brees. 

And free agents like Brissett, Fitzpatrick, Tyrod Taylor, Mitchell Trubisky or Cam Newton could be interesting stopgap additions in the short term. But the Saints turned to Hill in 2020, so at the very least, they have an in-house option they seem to trust for next season. 

As New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees contemplates retirement, the city he plays for is working hard to recruit a potential successor under center.

News of Seattle Seahawks star Russell Wilson naming the Saints as one of four teams he would go to if a trade were considered has led to New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell posting a video on her official Twitter account attempting to lure Wilson, wife Ciara and their family to the Crescent City.

It's unclear if the Seahawks and Saints have any interest in completing a trade, but that won't stop football fans in New Orleans from trying to speak a deal into existence.

Among Cantrell's selling points are the city's family-friendly environment, a chance to win another Super Bowl and for Ciara to perform at the city's annual Essence Festival.

New Orleans just might not need a quarterback yet, though.

Brees' personal trainer Todd Durkin posted a video on Instagram showing the 42-year-old going through an intense workout with the caption "something must be brewing." That a professional athlete is working out on his own time isn't exactly a stunning development, but it does show that Brees isn't winding anything down just yet.

If the Saints were to replace Brees with Wilson, however, it would go down as one of the best quarterback transitions in league history alongside Joe Montana-Steve Young, Brett Favre-Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning-Andrew Luck.

Both passers carry a Super Bowl pedigree with Wilson and Brees having combined for 21 Pro Bowl appearances.

Of course, football fans in New Orleans want Wilson. They just might not be done with their future Hall of Fame quarterback as is.