The New Orleans Saints are staring down a daunting salary cap situation that threatens to reshape their veteran core. According to sources with knowledge of the team’s finances, the Saints have several high-priced veterans, including recently-acquired quarterback Derek Carr, whose contracts may need to be addressed to alleviate cap pressure.
A Numbers Game: The Saints’ Unsustainable Salary Structure
Per NFLPA records, six players over age 30 – all current or former team captains – represent a staggering $140 million of the Saints’ projected 2025 salary cap. That figure, which accounts for roughly 40% of the team’s total cap allocations, includes potential dead money charges from prior transactions.
While New Orleans has traditionally kicked the can down the road with contract restructures, that approach may no longer be tenable. The team finds itself in an untenable position, with more than $65 million in cap commitments above even the most optimistic 2025 salary cap projections.
Key Veterans in the Crosshairs
Among the players whose contracts will come under scrutiny are:
- Derek Carr: The 33-year-old quarterback’s future is directly tied to the next head coach’s vision. Releasing Carr after June 1st would free up $30 million.
- Cameron Jordan: The 35-year-old defensive end has seen diminished production. A post-June 1 release would save $11 million.
- Demario Davis: The linebacker’s contract, reworked in 2024, leaves few palatable outs.
- Tyrann Mathieu: Like Davis, the veteran safety’s deal was restructured last offseason, complicating release options.
There’s no easy answers here. We’re backed into a corner with some of these contracts and will have to make difficult choices.
– Saints front office source, speaking on condition of anonymity
An Offensive Conundrum: Carr & Hill
Sources indicate there is internal uncertainty about how a new coaching staff might utilize Taysom Hill‘s unique skill set. Hill’s $17.9 million cap hit in 2025, the final year of his contract, looms large.
But the most intriguing domino is undoubtedly Derek Carr. Should the Saints move on from the veteran quarterback they just acquired? A post-June 1 release would clear $30 million off the cap, but the team would have to make that decision before free agency in order to avoid triggering guarantees in Carr’s contract.
Kicking the Can Down the Road No More?
The Saints’ 2025 cap puzzle will test a front office that has long relied on creative accounting to remain competitive. But with an aging core and the team’s championship window seemingly closed, more transformative moves may finally be in the offing.
New Orleans has thus far been reluctant to embrace a full-scale rebuild. However, the stark financial realities laid bare by a disappointing 2024 campaign could force the team’s hand. In the high-stakes world of NFL roster management, the Saints are confronting a cap reckoning years in the making.
