Credit where it's due: The New Orleans Saints don't rank last in unspent salary cap space that carries over to 2025. Hang the banner and give Mickey Loomis the microphone to address the crowd.
All joking aside, the Saints are going to need every penny they can get to stay within the cap this offseason. NFL Players Association records show the Saints will contribute over $2,929,173 from their 2024 books into the new league year. The experts at Over The Cap rank eighth lowest in the league, which, yes, is better than last.
Of the seven teams ranked lower than the Saints, four made the playoffs this season (the Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills). Three others have maxed out their books but are ahead of New Orleans in the 2025 draft after unsuccessful seasons. These include the New York Giants and Jets as well as the NFC South rival Carolina Panthers.
Now, $2.9 million may seem like small potatoes when the salary cap itself is expected to reach $270 million (or more) this spring. But the Saints need all the help they can get. They're already spending $48.4 million on players not on their 2025 roster, including Marshon Lattimore, Michael Thomas and Jameis Winston. That dead money number leads the league, not including the additional $11.1 million that will come from it Processing Ryan Ramczyk's resignation in June.
So if you count the $278.3 million going to players currently on the team, that means New Orleans is at least $50 million in the red. OTC's estimate puts the Saints over the limit by $51.3 million, if you want to be more specific. Let's see how they cope this time. Extending unused cap space from 2024 is just the beginning.
