Just a day ahead of their Week 3 matchup with the Green Bay Packers, the New Orleans Saints are rewarding one of their own with a brand new contract extension. According to Mike Garafolo, defensive end Carl Granderson has signed a four-year, $52 million contract, keeping him in the Bayou through the 2027 season. He also gets $35.3 million guaranteed.
It’s a deal that could reach as high as $60 million in total earnings, but for now offers an average annual value of $13 million per season. Not a bad rate for Granderson, considering he started his career as an undrafted free agent back in 2019. Not to mention, he’s started just nine of the 56 games he’s appeared in throughout his five-year Saints career.
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For Granderson to not only make the roster as an undrafted rookie back in 2019, but also to stave off other highly-drafted defenders such as Marcus Davenport (14th overall), Payton Turner (28th overall), and most recently Isaiah Foskey (40th overall), and still get paid a handsome amount is incredible. Plus, the Saints still have Cameron Jordan setting the other edge.
- Carl Granderson’s stats last season: 53 tackles (9 TFL), 5.5 sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR in four starts
Still, despite all the competition, Granderson has managed to not only carve out a consistent role on gameday, but now also appears to be a large part of the team’s future for a number of years.
Related: See where the New Orleans Saints land in our NFL defense rankings