Saints Must Spend $50 Million and the Timing Couldn’t Be Better

It could be an explosive offseason for the New Orleans Saints.

First and foremost, the franchise has a bit of hope right now. After going 5-4 with Tyler Shough under center in the second half of the season, there has been a lot of energy around the franchise. The offense looked good and the defense was dominant in the second half of the season. So much so that the Saints look like a team that can compete for a division title in 2026 with the roster as is. The Saints beat the Carolina Panthers twice in the second half of the season and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers once. Plus, no team in the division won more than eight games in 2025.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

That should be enough of a reason for the Saints to go big this offseason. It doesn't hurt that the team is in a better salary cap position than they have been in for what feels like years. On top of that even more, Tony Pauline of EssentiallySports reported that the Saints are in a group of teams that need to spend at least $50 million on player contracts this offseason.

The Saints have a big offseason ahead

Nov 23, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis during the Jimmy Graham retirement at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

"The NFLPA had its annual meeting last week via conference call rather than a forum taking place at the Indianapolis Convention Center, as it often does during the Combine," Pauline wrote. "What were the big takeaways? The NFLPA told members (agents) that they expect the salary cap to be $303.5 million this league year, though it could reach as high as $305 million. Several teams, including the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, as well as the Tennessee Titans, must spend an additional $50 million on player contracts this year to meet their three-year requirement, according to the CBA.

"This means many of the free agents signed by these teams or contract extensions handed out to players already on the roster will be front-loaded with a lot of cash for the 2026 season."

Ross Jackson of LouisianaSports.Net followed up and noted that, based on the recent Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams must spend at least 90 percent of the maximum salary cap between 2024 and 2026. Jackson also pointed out that the Saints could be as much as $80 million below the required threshold.

"Since 2024, per Spotrac, the Saints have spent approximately $192,945,000 including the recent re-signing of safety Julian Blackmon." Jackson wrote. "In-house re-signing sans extensions count toward this spending expectation just like the acquisition of new free agents.

"That number could shift depending on the structure and details of the cash amounts. But if the NFL salary cap in 2026 is going to be the expected $303.5 million, the Saints would then fall short of the 90 percent amount of $273,150,000 by around $80 million."

Regardless of the exact number, it sounds like the Saints need to spend this offseason and that couldn't have come at a better time. The Saints already look like a team that can make some noise in 2026. Mickey Loomis has proven over the years that he can be aggressive. It sounds like he'll have to be this offseason, which should give New Orleans even more of a chance in 2026. Shough and the team in general looked good in the second half of 2025. Imagine what they will look like in 2026 with more firepower at their disposal?