5 Highest Paid Saints Players
According to OverTheCap.com, the New Orleans Saints have five of the NFL's top-100 paid players. These numbers are based on a player's gross average annual yearly salary based on their current contract, not their salary cap hit on their respective teams.
Quarterbacks hold the top 11 spots in the league according to yearly average. Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers is number one with a yearly average of $50.27 dollars.
Saints QB Jameis Winston has a yearly figure of $15 million, including potential bonuses, but will count just $4 million against the team’s salary cap this season. A total of 16 quarterbacks are on the top-100 list. Winston is not among them.
Los Angeles Rams DT Aaron Donald is the highest-paid non-quarterback. Donald, number 12 on the OverTheCap.com list, comes in with a 2022 average of $31.67 million. Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill is the first offensive player on the list that doesn't play quarterback. He comes in at number 14 with a yearly average salary of $30 million.
The Saints do not have a player in the top 30, but three of them round out the top-50. Here are the five New Orleans players in the NFL's top-100 for yearly average salaries.
#99 - Alvin Kamara, RB
- Yearly Average = $15 million
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) runs against the Atlanta Falcons. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
The 27-year-old Kamara is one of just two running backs on the top-100 list. He is behind only Christian McCaffrey of the Carolina Panthers. McCaffrey comes in at number 86 overall with a yearly average of $16 million. Kamara's current deal runs through the end of the 2025 season. He’ll cost the team a little over $6.1 million against the salary cap.
Kamara was a third-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft by the Saints out of Tennessee. Over his five-year career he has 4,238 rushing yards, 373 receptions for 3,263 yards, and 68 total touchdowns. He led the team with 898 rushing yards and 47 receptions last season while recording 439 receiving yards and scoring 9 touchdowns despite missing four games.
One of the NFL's most dynamic offensive weapons, Kamara is already the franchise's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns for a running back. He’s just five scores away from the franchise's all-time lead in total touchdowns.
#65 - Cameron Jordan, DE
- Yearly Average = $17.5 million
New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan (94) against the Philadelphia Eagles. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Jordan, 33, is the 8th highest paid edge rusher according to yearly average. He enters his 12th NFL season just 8.5 sacks away from passing Hall of Fame LB Rickey Jackson as the franchise's all-time leader in official sacks. Jordan's current contract runs through 2024. He’ll cost approximately $7.64 million against the salary cap this season.
A first-round choice in the 2011 NFL Draft out of California, Jordan has played his entire career in New Orleans. He has 107 career sacks, 206 QB hits, 137 tackles for loss, 21 fumbles forced or recovered, and two interceptions.
Jordan is coming off a 12.5 sack and 34 pressure campaign, with 8.5 takedowns and 15 pressures coming in his last four games. It’s his fourth double-digit sack total in the last five years. Jordan's 107 career sacks rank third among active players.
#49 - Ryan Ramczyk, OT
- Yearly Average = $19.2 million
New Orleans Saints tackle Ryan Ramczyk (71) performs offensive line drills during a practice session at the Saints Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY
The 28-year-old Ramczyk enters his sixth year with the Saints after they picked him in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Wisconsin. He’s the 4th highest paid offensive tackle on the list and the highest paid lineman who isn't a left tackle. His salary cap hit will be just under $8.5 million this season, but will escalate to over $21.4 million in 2023 without a restructure.
Ramczyk has been a model of durability since entering the league. Prior to last season, he’d missed just one of 71 possible starts. A knee injury sidelined him for seven contests last season. The Saints averaged just 16 points per game, surrendered 19 sacks, and were held under 100 yards rushing four times without him.
A mauler in the running game and a wall in pass protection, Ramczyk routinely dominates the league’s top edge rushers. He’s also a marvelous athlete who efficiently gets to the second level of a defense to be the lead blocker on screens and outside runs.
#48 - Michael Thomas, WR
- Yearly Average = $19.25 million
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas (13) carries the ball against the Denver Broncos. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Thomas comes in as the NFL's 13th highest paid wideout, per yearly average. One of his former teammates, Texans WR Brandin Cooks, is ranked just in front of him. Thomas is signed through the end of the 2024 season. He’ll cost $7.8 million against the salary cap this year.
A second-round pick out of Ohio State by the Saints in the 2016 NFL Draft, Thomas had at least 92 receptions and 1,100 yards over his first four campaigns. An ankle injury suffered in the 2020 season opener has sidelined him for 26 of the last 33 regular season games, including all of last year.
When healthy, Thomas is the league's most unstoppable receiver on short and intermediate routes. He’s a physical wideout with sure hands and is one of the NFL's most precise route runners. Remember that the last time we saw him near 100%, Thomas led the league with 1,725 receiving yards on an NFL-record 149 catches.
#47 - Marshon Lattimore, CB
- Yearly Average = $19.4 million
New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore (23) intercepts a pass against the New England Patriots. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
The 26-year-old Lattimore comes in as the highest paid Saint on the NFL's top-100 for yearly average salaries. He’s the 5th highest paid corner on the list, with Packers CB Jaire Alexander leading the way at 31st overall. Lattimore's contract doesn't expire until the end of the 2026 season. His cap hit is just under $9 million for this year.
Lattimore is perhaps the best all-around corner in the game today. He tied for the team lead with 3 interceptions and was among league leaders with 19 passes broken up. His 74 pass breakups since 2017 is the highest in the NFL and he has 13 interceptions over his five-year career.
Often asked to shadow an opponent’s top wideout one-on-one, Lattimore has made even the league's best weapons obsolete in the outcome of games. Over the last two seasons, he’s surrendered less than 54% completion rate when targeted.
The Saints continue to do a masterful job at manipulating the league's salary cap. While several teams have much of their money tied up in one or two star players, Lattimore, Jordan, Thomas, Ramczyk, and Kamara are among a few of the New Orleans stars willing to restructure their deals for the good of the organization. The Saints currently have approximately $10.6 million in available cap space.
