Saints Dodge Bullet After Alontae Taylor Lands $60 Million Deal

The Saints may have lost Alontae Taylor in free agency this offseason, but it seems like they dodged a bullet...

Nov 9, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor (1) and running back Devin Neal (24) react after the game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Saints came into free agency with some major questions surrounding their roster and their free agents. It didn't take long for the Saints to lose Demario Davis to the New York Jets.

That left Alontae Taylor and Cameron Jordan as the Saints top free agents. Shortly after Davis' deal, the Saints lost Taylor, too.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz recently reported that Taylor agreed to a three-year, $60 million deal with the Tennessee Titans this offseason.

Alontae Taylor lands $60 million deal with Titans

Dec 21, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor (1) tackles New York Jets quarterback Brady Cook (4) during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

"BREAKING: The Titans are signing former Saints CB Alontae Taylor to a 3-year, $60M deal, per multiple sources," Schultz wrote in a post to Twitter/X on Monday afternoon. "Taylor was the top target for Tennessee to join Robert Saleh’s defense. He started 53 games in New Orleans and is viewed as an outside corner by Tennessee."

This was seemingly the expected move. Taylor was a good cornerback for the Saints, but they have the in-house players to replace him at the top of the depth chart.

It was never a realistic option for the Saints to re-sign Taylor for any more than $13 million to $15 million per season. Once his value skyrocketed past $15 million, the Saints never had a chance. And that shouldn't make fans mad. Given the deal Taylor agreed to, it seems like the Saints dodged a bullet.

Saints made the right decision not giving him $20 million per year

Dec 28, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor (1) hits Tennessee Titans quarterback Cameron Ward (1) as he throws a pass during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

It would have been a massive overpay for the Saints to give Taylor the deal that the Titans did. The Titans rank near the top of the league in cap space, so they're allowed to freely spend for talent like Taylor.

But if Taylor would have signed this deal with the Saints, it would have been a disaster for New Orleans.

This deal makes Taylor the ninth highest paid cornerback in the league, ranked just ahead of Marlon Humphery. It's hard to imagine Taylor being worth $4 million per season less than Patrick Surtain II.

The Saints should be able to find more affordable options in free agency or in the NFL draft. They could use their first round pick or their second round pick on a young cornerback. They could also dive into free agency and find a young, affordable option.

Either way, losing Taylor to the Titans hurts, but at $20 million per year, it was the right move.