After falling just short of the postseason for their second consecutive year, the New Orleans Saints were likely always headed for critical changes to their roster this offseason. Making that high possibility a true lock is the fact that the Saints currently sit with the second-fewest salary cap space in the NFL. Spun another way, only one team is further over the current 2023 spending limit than the Saints.
While the Saints’ general manager Mickey Loomis likely needs no reminder, for those keeping track, being nearly $30 million over the league’s spending limit is far from ideal. Perhaps if the Saints were the Kansas City Chiefs, the outlook would be different, but this team doesn’t even have their franchise quarterback on the roster yet.
In fact, their only QBs on the roster, Andy Dalton, is set for free agency, and the other, Jameis Winston, could soon be set to join him.
According to The Athletic‘s Larry Holder, Winston is viewed as the team’s most obvious cap casualty candidate. The NFL insider goes on to state Winston’s “time in New Orleans is likely up.”
If so, it ends a rollercoaster of a career for Winston with the Saints, making just 10 starts across three seasons. At his best, Winston gave fans in the bayou hopes he could turn the Saints into a top-ten passing unit, yet a case could be made that we also saw the turnover-prone QB at his worst, with four of his ten starts resulting in multi-turnover efforts.
Unless the Saints plan to turn back to Taysom Hill under center, their lack of clarity at the most important position in football is a glaring concern heading into the offseason. Keep in mind, Winston is only set to have a cap hit of $15.6 million in 2023, which is a bargain for an NFL starter, but far too expensive for someone operating in a backup role, or even worse, injured and not available at all.
Yet, with their dire cap situation, the Saints may prefer recouping the $12.8 million in savings if Winston were released from his contract if designated as a post-June 1 release. Should the Saints process such a roster transaction, the questions about who would take over would only continue to mount.
Related: 2023 NFL mock draft: Indianapolis Colts trade up to No. 1, Raiders move up for QB