Why Alontae Taylor Free Agency Buzz Is Bad News For Saints

There were rumors floating around ahead of the National Football League trade deadline that the New Orleans Saints were listening to offers for cornerback Alontae Taylor.

It was shared that the Indianapolis Colts were interested at one point, but they acquired Sauce Gardner from the New York Jets, which killed the idea of a move. The Chicago Bears were another team that was linked to Taylor, but clearly the Saints didn't get an offer that they liked as he is still a member of the franchise.

The Saints have seven games left in the regular season and then likely a long offseason ahead. Trading Taylor arguably would've been the right call, even though the Saints didn't get the exact package they wanted. The reason for this is that he is heading to free agency and should cash in. New Orleans is already projected to be $12 million over the 2026 salary cap, per Over The Cap. The Saints somehow find a way to get creative with the salary cap this year, but if there is some sort of bidding war for Taylor, that doesn't sound like it will be in the Saints' favor.

There very well could be as well. ESPN's Matt Bowen and Jeremy Fowler projected Taylor to be the No. 1 corner heading to free agency and the 11th-best overall player and mentioned that the top corners from the 2025 free agency class got deals in the neighborhood of $18 million per year.

The Saints CB may not be back in 2026

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

"What he brings: Taylor's versatility and urgent play style shows on tape," Bowen said. "He has the speed to cover on the perimeter, but he can also play a disruptive role in the slot. In four seasons with the Saints, Taylor has 3 interceptions, 37 pass breakups and 6 sacks.

"What we're hearing: Taylor gets the edge as the top corner based on teams consulted for this exercise," Fowler said. "He has good size (6-foot, 199 pounds) with the flexibility to play inside and out. The Saints and Taylor once discussed an extension, but a deal never happened, which made him a trade candidate at last week's deadline. The Bears and Colts showed interest. As a reference point, the top 2025 free agent corners earned about $18 million per year on new deals."

The fact that Taylor is projected to be the top corner and the $18 million price tag was floated is bad news because of the fact that the Saints already have some questions at corner right now and it will likely be difficult to bring him back.

Now, the Saints were in a similar situation with Chase Young and Juwan Johnson last year. They were heading to free agency and financially didn't seem likely to return at all. The team restructured deals and cut a few guys and freed up enough space to re-sign both of them.

Those salary cap issues are coming back this upcoming offseason, though. Taylor is someone who should cash in and as of right now, it doesn't seem very likely that he will be with New Orleans with all of the other issues going on.

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