Saints' Alontae Taylor Gets Murky Pre-Free Agency Update

Will the New Orleans Saints have Alontae Taylor in the secondary in 2026?

A few months ago, it didn't seem likely at all. When the trade deadline was approaching, Taylor and Rashid Shaheed were among the most talked-about trade candidates on the Saints' roster. Shaheed ended up getting moved to the Seattle Seahawks, but Taylor stuck around with the franchise.

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At the time, it was a surprising decision. New Orleans had a lack of draft capital and looked like it was approaching a full-scale rebuild. The Saints turned things around in the second half of the season, though, once they turned the reins over to Tyler Shough as the team's starting quarterback.

The Saints CB is among the most intriguing free agents

Nov 2, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Blake Corum (22) carries the ball as New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor (1) defends during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Saints kept Taylor and now they will have to decide whether they should let him walk in free agency or hand him a new deal. On Wednesday, ESPN shared a column on "re-signing decisions" for each franchise. For the Saints, ESPN's Katherine Terrell gave a look at Taylor's market.

"New Orleans Saints," Terrell wrote. "DB Alontae Taylor. While the Saints have several older veterans with voiding contracts, what they do with the 27-year-old Taylor will be the biggest storyline to watch in the 2026 free agency period.

"The Saints have parted ways with some of their starting defensive backs in recent memory (trading Marshon Lattimore to the Washington Commanders in 2024 and letting Paulson Adebo leave in free agency last year), so it's not a given that they re-sign him this year. Taylor has played in all 17 games for the past three seasons for the Saints. He can play both inside and outside and had two interceptions in 2025."

The fact that an insider of Terrell's caliber is saying it's "not a given" Taylor returns, isn't a great sign. But the team arguably should prioritize a deal.

Taylor is 27 years old and is projected to land a three-year deal worth just north of $33 million, per Spotrac. Last year, seven cornerbacks earned more in free agency. Paulson Adebo, Carlton Davis, Charvarius Ward and Byron Murphy all got $54 million across three seasons. Nate Hobbs got $48 million across four seasons. DJ Reed got $48 million over three seasons. Brandon Stephens got $36 million over three seasons.

From last year's biggest deals, it shows that Taylor's $33 million projection is a fair value, and maybe even a bit below market. If the Saints could get a deal like that done, it would be for the best.

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