Saints Can't Afford to Lose 5-Time All-Pro

It's no secret that a few pillars of the New Orleans Saints franchise are facing uncertain futures right now.

Longtime Saints stars Demario Davis, Cameron Jordan, and Taysom Hill are all pending free agents. These aren't just talented players, but pieces that have a place in New Orleans history. Davis spent the last eight seasons with New Orleans and earned five All-Pro nods and was a Pro Bowler twice. He actually set a new career high of 143 total tackles in 2025 as well.

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Jordan has spent his entire 15-year National Football League career in New Orleans and arguably is a future Hall of Famer. Hill has spent his entire nine-year NFL career with the Saints and has done things that no other player in the league has done while doing a bit of everything for New Orleans' offense.

The Saints need to get a deal done

Dec 28, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis (56) stretches against the Tennessee Titans during pre-game warmups at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

It'll be interesting to see how the Saints handle these franchise stars. On Thursday, Pro Football Focus' Mason Cameron shared a story highlighting the top-graded free agents and projected top landing spots. Of the group, Davis is the only one who cracked the list. Unsurprisingly, the Saints were called the top landing spot for him.

"LB Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints (80.3)," Cameron wrote. "Best Landing Spot: New Orleans Saints. Despite having just turned 37 years old, Davis has indicated that he isn’t quite ready to hang up the cleats. His leadership and veteran knowledge would be valuable for any defense, and his play has even reached new heights, with his 88.9 PFF run-defense grade in 2025 standing as a new career high.

"Plenty of teams could use a veteran as savvy as Davis at the heart of their defense, but it makes the most sense for the Saints to retain him with an extension. Davis was an integral part of a New Orleans defense that ranked in the top 10 in EPA per play allowed and 12th in PFF overall grade (70.8)."

This just goes to show how good Davis was in 2025. The Saints can't lose that type of production, especially with a chance to contend in the division in 2026.

Davis already has indicated that he wants to play in 2026.

"I try to take it one year at a time and I'm excited that this probably be the earliest that I know that I want to continue to play," Davis said early in January.

It's no surprise that Cameron called the Saints the best landing spot for Davis. That much is obvious. He wants to keep playing, is a pillar of the franchise, and clearly still gets it done. There is no reason why Davis shouldn't wear a Saints jersey in 2026.

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