The New Orleans Saints were hoping that Derek Carr would reunite with Dennis Allen to create some magic. What they mostly ended up creating was not all that different from what Derek Carr has created in the past. But that doesn’t mean they can’t win with that. The Saints face a difficult battle in free agency with their current salary cap set up but the organization has been able to creatively restructure contracts in the past to get by. Let’s take a look at the depth chart of weapons both from an NFL fan and a fantasy football perspective to see how the Saints might be able to finagle their way around the salary cap in 2024 free agency.

*The salary cap numbers referenced in this article come courtesy of our friends over at Spotrac.com*

 

Saints Depth Chart for Fantasy Football

Quarterback

Derek Carr

Jameis Winston

Jake Haener

Running Back

Alvin Kamara

Jamaal Williams

Kendre Millr

Wide Receiver

Chris Olave

Lynn Bowden

 

Wide Receiver

Michael Thomas

A.T. Perry

 

Wide Receiver

Rasheed Shahid

Keith Kirkwood

 

Tight End

Juwan Johnson

Foster Moreau

 

Taysom Hill

Taysom Hill

  


 

White = unrestricted free agent

Green = role is safe

Yellow = role could be in jeopardy

Red = could be traded or released

PROJECTED 2024 SALARIES: $329M

ESTIMATED 2024 CAP SPACE: -$89M

2024 NFL Free Agency Preview for New Orleans Saints

Quarterback

Derek Carr

Derek Carr was what you would expect from him - he was solid. He threw 25 TDs with 8 picks in a season where they went 9-8. That’s basically what Derek Carr has been. So not sure what they were expecting. You absolutely CAN win with this type of QB if the team built around him is great. And they have at least one more year of Carr under the current contract before they have any possibility of getting out. So, for better or worse, it’s Derek Carr again in 2024. 

Jameis Winston

Winston is a free agent and it feels incredibly unlikely he will re-sign with the Saints after having multiple chances to win the starting job to no avail. He’s likely to sign on as a backup elsewhere or maybe sign with a team going through a bridge year to try to win a job. For instance, if a team like the Buccaneers loses Mike Evans and other key free agents and decides not to bring Baker Mayfield back, the Bucs could be “playing for the future” in 2024 in which case they just bring in whoever is an affordable veteran. 

Jake Haener

The most notable thing Haener did this year was get suspended for violating the NFL’s PED policy. He’s on an affordable rookie deal so he’s in the mix to be the backup if the Saints don’t make another move. 

SAINTS QB FREE AGENCY TAKE

If the Saints are to make a major move at QB, it will likely come in 2025. So it really boils down to whether they want a safer option as backup besides Haener via free agency or whether they maybe take another shot on a long-term guy in the draft. If they do bring in a vet it will be a cheap deal given their cap situation.

POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: Carson Wentz, Matt Barkley, AJ McCarron, Trevor Siemian

Running Back

Alvin Kamara

Alvin Kamara is in yellow here technically because they could designate him as a post-June 1 release which could spread his cap hit over the next two years and give them some relief this year. Historically though, the Saints have found ways to restructure guys to keep them and free up some cap short term. I expect them to find a way to keep Kamara but we have to mention the possibility. 

Jamaal Williams

There’s really not a huge benefit to releasing Williams, only trading him (and even then we are talking about saving like $1.5 million with a cap hit over $3 million. So he’s locked in for this year. Though his role wasn’t really as impactful as folks had hoped.

Kendre Miller

Kendre Miller is on an affordable rookie deal so he’s not going anywhere. In your dynasty fantasy football leagues, you are obviously rooting for them to move on from Alvin Kamara but you’re likely just stashing and playing the waiting game for now.

Eno Benjamin

If they do bring back the free agent Benjamin, he likely does not have much of an impact without multiple injuries. 

SAINTS RB FREE AGENCY TAKE

Unless they were to go the nuclear option with Alvin Kamara, the Saints are likely holding tight at running back. If they do make some kind of move, they don’t really have the money for a big upgrade so that kind of move would likely be based on confidence in guys like Jamaal Williams and Kendre Miller.

 

Wide Receiver

Chris Olave

The young stud is locked in a rookie deal through 2026 so you don’t need to worry about that. His role and value are safe.

Michael Thomas

The decision the Saints face on Michael Thomas this year is virtually the same as last year - either cut him before the league year opens in mid-March or extend him. The short and sweet is that his contract is built so that his cap hit gets even bigger if he's on the team in March so he either becomes a free agent or gets a new contract. Last year they opted to extend him and he got hurt once again. After four straight years of finishing the season on the IR, this could have been the last ride for Thomas. Unless he’s willing to take a VERY team-friendly deal to stay. 

Rashid Shaheed

Shaheed is an exclusive rights free agent (ERFA) meaning the Saints can keep him on an incredibly affordable deal. The question isn’t whether they do that but whether they work out a long-term deal with him. As for his fantasy value, the next question is about what they do at the position. If they don’t add anyone meaningful, the speedy wideout could be in line for a much bigger role than simply stretching the field. There’s upside there.

A.T. Perry

Perry stands to gain the most if Michael Thomas is gone. In fact, when Thomas got hurt this year he slid right into the role as the split end. He’s 6’5” and, if he bulks up a bit, he could end up as the Saints’ full-time split end. On the flip side, the floor is always low for a sixth-round WR as those guys are often the first ones to be replaced. So he needs to prove that he is a baller VERY soon.

Lynn Bowden

Bowden’s best bet to be retained by the Saints is via the return game. If they deem Shaheed too valuable to be returning punts and kicks, Bowden has experience with both. 

Keith Kirkwood

He doesn’t have much fantasy upside but, if he’s willing to return on a cheap deal as a familiar face, he could serve as depth.

SAINTS WR FREE AGENCY TAKE

The Saints are in trouble cap-wise. And the top dogs are going to be going for way out of their price range. Their best bet is to negotiate to retain what they have as cheaply as possible. Or draft someone. If they do let Thomas leave and want to try to replace him with the cheapest viable split-end options with some size, here is what you are looking at.

POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: DJ Chark, Demarcus Robinson, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine-Ikhine, Chase Claypool, Donovan Peoples-Jones

Tight End

Juwan Johnson

The one position the Saints are pretty set at is tight end. They have a good mix of guys on affordable deals all under contract for at least next year. Juwan is a solid pass-catching tight end that can line up in the slot. 

Foster Moreau

You’ve got a good blocking tight end here who can catch a couple of balls in a pinch. There’s really no cap benefit to releasing him but he could be traded if a team were willing to take on ~$4.46 mil. If they were to trade him they would then need to sign a blocking tight end.

SAINTS TE FREE AGENCY TAKE

The Saints can hang tight at tight end as well because they have a pass-catching tight end, a blocking tight end, and a Taysom Hill. 

Taysom Hill

Taysom Hill gets his own position on the depth chart because he plays his own unique position. And he’s likely to continue doing that considering the contract situation and how much they value him. So, in fantasy football, we are just going to have to deal with it.

SAINTS TAYSOM HILL FREE AGENCY TAKE

We haven’t really seen another Taysom Hill since Tim Tebow and I’m not sure when we’ll see the next one. So there’s no option out there to replace him via free agency. 

 

NFL Free Agency Previews

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