ESPN Insider Identifies Saints Legend As Shocking Offseason Cut Candidate

New Orleans fans won't love this

Oct 13, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan (94) intercepts Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Saints' league-worst salary cap situation could lead to a painful decision involving one of the best players in franchise history.

The Saints entered the offseason $54.1 million over the cap, by far the worst in the NFL. The financial straits reportedly could result in a split with legendary defensive tackle Cameron Jordan, according to ESPN NFL insiders Jeremy Fowler and Cameron Jordan.

Here's the full section on the Saints from Fowler and Graziano's cap-focused piece published Wednesday:

"It feels like the Saints are here every year, having to slash and slash just to get under the cap. They're projected to be $50 million or so over the cap. They have restructures they could do to get them part of the way there, but if they're getting into veteran cut territory, they could be looking at the biggest of their big names this time.

"Quarterback Derek Carr is set to make $40 million this season. Of that, $10 million is already guaranteed and the remaining $30 million becomes guaranteed in mid-March. His cap number is over $51 million. To knock that down, the Saints might need to extend him, but they could save $30 million on this year's cap if they made him a post-June 1 cut.

"Also worth watching is the situation with Cameron Jordan, who's a beloved longtime Saint and has told me he wants to finish his career in New Orleans. Jordan turns 36 in July, has one year left on his contract and is carrying a cap number of roughly $20 million for 2025. Is there an extension that makes sense for Jordan? And if not, is it possible they make him a post-June 1 cut to save $11 million on this year's cap. Some hard and potentially painful decisions lie ahead for New Orleans."

It's worth noting that the NFL on Wednesday announced its updated salary cap, which could help the Saints this offseason.

"The NFL today informed teams that the 2025 per-team salary cap will fall in the range of $277.5 million to $281.5 million, way up from last year's $255.4 million," Graziano wrote on the X platform. "Cap will have increased by more than $53 million over the last two years."

It's unclear whether the increase will make it easier for the Saints to retain players such as Jordan and Carr. Obviously, New Orleans would prefer to keep Jordan around.

A first-round pick in 2011, Jordan has played his entire career with the Saints. He's a an eight-time Pro Bowler, one-time First-Team All-Pro and, potentially, a future Hall of Famer.

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