Free agency in the NFL is one of the most exciting parts of the off-season, sometimes even as good as watching the games themselves if you are a special type of fanatic. This free agency period has not disappointed in the slightest, being one of the best in the past few years in terms of blockbuster signings and trades.
From cancelled trades that would have completely changed the landscape of the AFC, to the Seahawks slowly hemorrhaging their Super Bowl roster, including their Super Bowl MVP winning running back, this free agency has had it all.
Yet in the chaos that has been running rampant across the NFL, many have seemed to miss the moves and signings that the New Orleans Saints have been making.
The 2025 season for the Saints seems to be the start of a new beginning as Head Coach Kellen Moore and rookie quarterback Tyler Shough, along with one of the best rookie classes in the NFL, propelled the Saints to a 6–11 record. Shough, starting the last nine games, went 5–4.
Moore and Shough proved to be the future for the Saints organization, so Mickey Loomis and the front office decided to cash in on this. For the first time in years, not including the debacle that the Derek Carr signing was, the Saints spent real money in free agency, to the tune of $177.9 million.
The biggest issues the Saints had last year was with their offensive line, specifically the interior. Second-year tackle Taliese Fuaga and rookie Kelvin Banks Jr. held down the edges, becoming one of the best tackle duos in the league.
But the Saints had continuous problems from the interior, failing to establish a good run game inside the tackles and doing a poor job of protecting Shough from interior rushes.
Both Moore and Loomis know that the best teams in the league right now have, at bare minimum, solid offensive lines.
To address this problem, Loomis went out and spent big, signing guard David Edwards to a four-year, $61 million deal, $45 million guaranteed.
This is a great veteran addition to the line. Edwards has spent the past three seasons playing for the Buffalo Bills, and before that he played for the Los Angeles Rams and won a Super Bowl with them in 2022.
Edwards will bring a strong hand to the otherwise young Saints offensive line, not that he is particularly old; he just turned 29 on March 20. He is both a good pass protector and does an excellent job opening up running lanes, which the Saints will need.
Another issue for New Orleans is running back. It is sad to say that after being spoiled by Alvin Kamara since 2017, but age comes for everyone and Kamara was noticeably lacking the speed he used to have. Age paired with the knee injury he suffered against the Atlanta Falcons back in November does not aid in the team’s confidence in his return to form.
This problem with running backs also extends to depth, as the Saints were pulling from the practice squad by the end of the season due to injuries to back-ups Kendre Miller and rookie Devin Neal.
It was widely thought that New Orleans would use its eighth overall pick in the upcoming draft to take Notre Dame back Jeremiyah Love, which some have referred to as a generational prospect at his position. That is not the route that the Saints opted for.
The very first free agency signing announced by the organization was former Jacksonville Jaguar back and Louisiana native, Travis Etienne Jr. Etienne was signed to a four year deal for $47.4 million, of which $28 million was guaranteed.
Etienne has been a solid back in the league since he was drafted in 2022, running for 1,000 or more yards in three of his four seasons. This past season he ran for 1,107 yards, averaging 4.3 per carry with seven touchdowns. He also racked up 292 yards and six touchdowns through the air.
While Etienne will never be able to reproduce the truly insane level of production that Kamara had in his prime, it is possible that Etienne will prove very successful in Moore’s running back friendly system.
To further address the issue of depth, the Saints also signed former Minnesota Viking back Ty Chandler to a one-year, $1.21 million deal.
There were also some players’ contracts that ended this year, including some that were synonymous with being a Saint. The biggest is Cameron Jordan who, as of writing this, has yet to sign anywhere.
Jordan has spent his entire 15-year career with the organization, he has been the definition of what it means to wear the black and gold. The idea of him suiting up anywhere else seems strange to think about.
The other major loss was multi-time, All-Pro linebacker Demario Davis. Davis signed a two-year deal with the New York Jets, the team that originally drafted him back in 2012. He, along with Jordan, have been the leaders on defense and their losses will be felt going forward.
New Orleans signed Kaden Elliss to a three-year, $33 million deal in order to fill some of the hole left by Davis on defense. Elliss was originally drafted by the Saints in 2019, but he did not see real improvement as a player till he signed with the Atlanta Falcons in 2023.
The Saints have also signed punter Ryan Wright and tight end Noah Fant, and re-signed guard Dillon Radunz and defensive tackle John Ridgeway III.