Saints Urged to Cut $9 Million CB After 2025 Return

The New Orleans Saints' cornerback room will be something to watch.

Aug 23, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Isaac Yiadom (27) misses a tackle against New Orleans Saints wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. (11) during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Saints have done a good job freeing up salary cap space but there is room for more.

With one day to go until free agency opens up around the league, the Saints are sitting right around $20 million in salary cap space, per Over The Cap. That's enough to add a few pieces, but nothing massive. There are pathways to more savings, though.

ESPN's Katherine Terrell shared a column highlighting all of the various salary cap moves the team has made so far and what they could do next. One option Terrell floated was how New Orleans could cut ties with cornerback Isaac Yiadom.

"Release CB Isaac Yiadom," Terrell wrote. "Yiadom returned to the Saints as a free agent last spring with the idea that he'd be a starter. But the emergence of rookie Quincy Riley pushed him into a backup role. Yiadom has a 2026 cap number of $3.48 million.

The Saints have moves to make

Sep 7, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) sheds the tackle of New Orleans Saints cornerback Isaac Yiadom (27) during the second quarter at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

"However, because $1.5 million of his 2026 base salary is guaranteed, the Saints will save only $575,000 against the salary cap by releasing him. The Saints would save $1.275 million if he is designated as a post-June 1 cut. Previous salary cap number: $3.75 million. New cap number: $2.9 million (dead money). Savings: $575,000 / $1.275 million."

Yiadom is 30 years old and returned to New Orleans in 2025 after a year away in 2024. Yiadom spent time with the Saints in 2022 and 2023 and then joined the San Francisco 49ers for the 2024 campaign. He returned in 2025 on a three-year, $9 million deal with the franchise with a potential out in it this offseason.

Yiadom played in 14 games for New Orleans in 2025, including one start. He had 26 total tackles and allowed 13 catches on 15 targets. If the Saints opt to move on, it wouldn't save a ton of salary cap space. But if the Saints want to rebuild the cornerback room as a whole around Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley, this would be a step in that direction.

Free agency is going to kick off on Monday and there will be plenty of moving pieces.