Few NFL teams have been poached as heavily as the New Orleans Saints in free agency. They’ve lost at least six of their in-house free agents to other teams, several of them NFC South rivals. Per Over The Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald, the six Saints free agents who have left town are earning a combined average annual contract value north of $48 million. That ranks fourth-highest around the league, behind the San Francisco 49ers ($83.6 million), Las Vegas Raiders ($67.3 million), and Philadelphia Eagles ($58 million).
It’s hard to find fault with defensive tackle David Onyemata agreeing to play on a $13 million per-year salary, even if it’s with the miserable Atlanta Falcons. Hopefully he upcharged them, as did linebacker Kaden Elliss (who is bringing in $7.17 million a year in Atlanta). Defensive tackle Shy Tuttle ($6.5 million per year) and quarterback Andy Dalton ($5 million per year) are also drawing nice paydays from the Carolina Panthers. Defensive end Marcus Davenport got $13 million from the Minnesota Vikings. Wide receiver Deonte Harty, coming off a foot injury, received $4.75 million from the Buffalo Bills. We’re waiting to see what safety Justin Evans got from the Eagles, but it’s not expected to be substantial.
But back to the Saints. All of these losses will be challenging to replace, but the team has already gotten started by signing a couple of starting defensive tackles in Nathan Shepherd and Khalen Saunders. They were able to get Jameis Winston to return on a pay cut and back up Derek Carr. More depth along the defensive line, at linebacker, and at receiver is still needed, but that can all be addressed with time. Could they have matched some of these contract offers? Maybe, but it probably wouldn’t have been worth it. Better to stick to their price and rebuild without breaking the bank.
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Story originally appeared on Saints Wire