New Orleans Saints

With only $6.8M in current room ranking 29th and a crushing $107.6M dead-money burden ranking second in the league, the Saints are financially handcuffed this season but are set to exhale with $75.5M in projected room next year.

28 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Six starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Six picks this season with five of the six falling in rounds one through five, plus three first-rounders across the next three years and 21 total picks over that window, gives the Saints real rebuild resources even if none of them can fix the immediate cap crunch.

• Acquired: Round 6 from Chargers, this draft
• Acquired: Round 7 from Cowboys, next draft
• Acquired: Round 7 from Patriots, next draft
• Acquired: Round 6 from Texans, next draft
• Traded away: Round 6 to Patriots, this draft
• Traded away: Round 7 to Broncos, this draft
• Traded away: Round 7 to Texans, next draft
• Traded away: Round 6 to Cowboys, next draft

The roster's clearest strength is its trio of 87 overall Star-trait players at halfback, center, and wide receiver, while cornerback is the most glaring weak spot from top to bottom.

• CBhigh

  The Saints rank 30th in starter quality and 29th in depth at cornerback, making it the single most urgent position to address on the roster.

• LThigh

  Kelvin Banks Jr. starts at left tackle as a 77 overall at just 22, but the depth behind him is thin and the position ranks 30th in the league in depth.

• MIKEhigh

  Pete Werner is the starter at 75 overall, but the Saints rank 29th in starter quality at MIKE, and neither Danny Stutsman nor Jaylan Ford offers a safe fallback.

• DTmedium

  Davon Godchaux leads a group that ranks 26th in starter quality, and with his release economics making him a cut candidate, the interior line could thin further.

• QBlow

  Tyler Shough is the starter at 77 overall, ranking 22nd among starting quarterbacks, which is a manageable but clear constraint on the offense's ceiling.

• SSlow

  Jonas Sanker starts at 78 overall with Star dev at just 23, giving the position a promising long-term anchor despite ranking 21st in starter quality.

• 74Nathan ShepherdDTReleasing Nathan Shepherd frees $4.8M against only $2.4M in dead money, which is meaningful value given he sits behind Godchaux, Christen Miller, and Bryan Bresee on the depth chart.Frees $4.8M · $2.4M dead
• 74Jordan HowdenFSJordan Howden is the second free safety behind Justin Reid at just 74 overall, and cutting him frees $3.7M while leaving only $80K in dead money.Frees $3.7M · $80.0K dead
• 60Zaire Mitchell-PadenTEZaire Mitchell-Paden is the fourth tight end on the depth chart at 60 overall, and releasing him frees $1.0M with zero dead money.Frees $1.0M · $0 dead
• 59Will ShermanRGWill Sherman sits third at right guard at 59 overall and also third at left guard, making him a redundant roster spot that frees $1.0M with no dead money attached.Frees $1.0M · $0 dead
• 61Barry WesleyLTBarry Wesley is the backup left tackle at 61 overall behind Kelvin Banks Jr., and cutting him frees $880K with no dead money despite the team's thin LT depth.Frees $880.0K · $0 dead

The Saints carry real talent at a handful of skill positions, with Travis Etienne Jr., Chris Olave, and Erik McCoy forming a credible core, but the franchise is constrained on nearly every other front. The cap situation is the most pressing structural issue: $107.6M in dead money ranks second in the league, and only $6.8M of current room forces hard choices before any roster improvement can begin. Kaden Elliss and Cameron Jordan remain contributors, but both are in the late stage of their careers, and planning around them beyond the near term is risky. Kelvin Banks Jr. at 22 and Jonas Sanker at 23 are promising building blocks, and Kool-Aid McKinstry at 23 with a Star dev trait gives the cornerback room a real foundation despite the group ranking near the bottom of the league today. Tyler Shough at 77 overall is a serviceable but unspectacular starter, and the absence of a proven quarterback makes winning consistently difficult. The relief valve is next year, when cap room is projected to open up to $75.5M ranking 10th in the league, which is when meaningful roster reconstruction becomes financially possible.

The Saints were awarded to New Orleans on November 1, 1966, All Saints' Day, and began play in 1967 as the NFL's 16th franchise, founded by John W. Mecom Jr., David Dixon, and the city. Rookie John Gilliam returned the opening kickoff of the first regular-season game (Sept. 17, 1967) 94 yards for a touchdown, but the team lost and spent two decades in futility, going 20 consecutive seasons without a winning record. The nadir was the 1-15 campaign of 1980, when disgusted fans began wearing paper bags over their heads and calling the team the 'Aints.' One early bright spot: on November 8, 1970, Tom Dempsey booted a then-record 63-yard field goal to beat Detroit 19-17 on the game's final play. The franchise's first winning season and playoff berth came in 1987 under coach Jim Mora, powered by the 'Dome Patrol' linebacker corps (Rickey Jackson, Sam Mills, Pat Swilling, Vaughan Johnson). The first playoff win did not arrive until January 2001, the team's 34th season. The defining era began in 2006, when the Saints hired coach Sean Payton and signed free-agent QB Drew Brees months after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Superdome in 2005. The era peaked in the 2009 season: a 13-0 start and a 31-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV (Feb. 7, 2010), with Brees named MVP. The title was later shadowed by 'Bountygate,' the 2012 revelation of a pay-for-injury bounty program that drew unprecedented NFL sanctions. Two gut-punch playoff moments bookend the late-Brees years: the 'Minneapolis Miracle' that ended the 2017 divisional playoff, and the 'NOLA No-Call' in the January 2019 NFC Championship Game, when uncalled pass interference helped the Rams win in overtime. Brees retired after the 2020 season, and the franchise has not returned to the playoffs since.