Alontae Taylor’s Future Hangs in Balance for Saints

Will the New Orleans Saints lose a key piece of their secondary this offseason?

This is one of the biggest questions for the franchise as the offseason really starts to kick off. Super Bowl LX came and went on Sunday with the Seattle Seahawks taking down the New England Patriots. Free agency will kick off in March and it's going to be interesting to see how the Saints handle it.

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Saints general manager Mickey Loomis already alluded to the fact that the team is aiming higher than just making a run at the NFC South title in 2026.

"I think all of us, you know, every day with every team, whether it is a coach or GM, has a vision for how they can win their division, regardless of how strong or weak you may think it is" Loomis said. "We're going to approach it the same way. How do we improve enough to win the division? We don't want to just win the division. We don't want to be an 8-9 team winning the division. We want to win the division, be dominant and have a chance to make a run in the playoffs. So that's what our goal is going to be."

Will Alontae Taylor return in 2026?

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

There are four notable pending free agents for New Orleans this offseason: Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis, Taysom Hill, and Alontae Taylor. Of the group, Taylor is the youngest and arguably the most intriguing to follow. Jordan, Davis and Hill are franchise pillars who should all be back. They're also all in the back half of their NFL Careers. Taylor is just 27 years old and the perception around him is high right now. So much so that ESPN's Kevin Seifert noted that Taylor may be the top pending free agent corner in football right now.

"At this time of the year, it's hard to know what the free agent class will look like," Seifert wrote. "One way or another, through the franchise tag or contract extensions, many players whose contracts are expiring will remain with their current team by the time free agency begins.

"But for now, the theoretical free agent list includes edge rushers such as Trey Hendrickson (Bengals) and Odafe Oweh (Chargers). Teams in need of an offensive tackle might consider Rasheed Walker (Packers) or Braden Smith (Colts). Alontae Taylor (Saints) might be the best cornerback available. After a monster year in 2025, receiver George Pickens (Cowboys) is in line for a big deal. Running backs Breece Hall (Jets) and Travis Etienne Jr. (Jaguars) can make big impacts on an offense in different ways."

With that being said, the Saints arguably should attempt to get an extension done with Taylor before he actually hits the open market. If Taylor reaches free agency and actually is viewed as the top corner available, that's certainly going to lead to competition and a high price tag.

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