Saints Offseason Preview: Impending Free Agents, Draft Picks, and Top Needs

The New Orleans Saints are headed for a new era as coach Dennis Allen was fired after taking over for former head coach Sean Payton in 2022. During Allen's three-season stint, New Orleans failed to make the postseason with records of 7-10, 9-8, and 5-12.

The Buffalo Bills' offensive coordinator Joe Brady, the Detroit Lions' defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, and former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy are a few names in the running to be the Saints new head coach. Whoever takes over the helm will be a tricky situation, for New Orleans is roped into about a $51 million cap hit and $61 million for 2026 with Derek Carr's remaining contract. The Saints are clearly filled with holes, yet they have the lowest cap space headed into the offseason.

New Orleans fans probably shouldn't expect an immediate turnaround considering the franchise's limited resources. Still, there's room for improvement ahead of the 2025 season. Let's look at some potential moves for the Saints in the offseason.

Saints' 2024 Schedule-Adjusted Rankings

• Overall Offense: 23rd
• Pass Offense: 25th
• Rush Offense: 8th
• Overall Defense: 22nd
• Pass Defense: 13th
• Rush Defense: 30th

Saints' Impending 2025 Free Agents

• Chase Young, DE
• Tyrann Mathieu, S
• Juwan Johnson, TE
• Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR
• Paulson Adebo, CB
• Payton Turner, DE (club option)
• Willie Gay Jr., LB
• Tanoh Kpassagnon, DE
• Oli Udoh, T
• Lucas Patrick, G
• Will Harris, S
• Adam Prentice, FB
• Shane Lemieux, G
• Shemar Jean-Charles, CB
• Dante Pettis, WR
• Justin Herron, T
• Nephi Sewell, LB (restricted free agent)
• Landon Young, T
• Kyle Hergel, G (exclusive rights free agent)
• Isaiah Stalbird, S (exclusive rights free agent)

As seen by Spotrac's list of free agents, the Saints have a healthy list of expiring contracts -- and it's not for the better.

Starting with the defense, defensive ends Chase Young and Payton Turner could be hitting the market, but New Orleans does have a player option for Turner. Cornerback Paulson Adebo and safety Tyrann Mathieu are a couple of notable defensive backs that are likely on their way out. Mathieu is aging and Adebo struggled with flags in the 2024 season. Offensive linemen Lucas Patrick and Shane Lemieux are notable free agents on offense, but neither performed well this past season.

Overall, this franchise seems headed for a rebuild, which could be moving various key players -- such as Chris Olave. With that said, the Saints may not look to bring back impending free agents, especially with limited cap space.

Saints' 2025 NFL Draft Picks

• 9th overall
• 2nd round
• 3rd round
• 3rd round (via Washington Commanders)
• 4th round
• 4th round (via Washington Commanders)
• 6th round
• 6th round (via Washington Commanders)

(NOTE: This list does not include compensatory picks, which are typically announced in early March.)

New Orleans could go in several directions with their top draft pick, but as our adjusted rankings show, defense should be atop the priority list.

While the Saints finished 13th in adjusted pass defense, cornerback Marshon Lattimore is no longer a part of the equation as he was traded to the Washington Commanders, which landed New Orleans several 2025 picks. Plus, we mentioned the unknown status of impending free agents Young and Turner on the defensive line and Mathieu and Abedo in the secondary. Chances are some of these free agents will find new homes.

With that said, this defense could use an upgrade virtually anywhere. Defensive line would likely provide the best value as ninth overall. In FanDuel Research's 2025 NFL Mock Draft, our Austin Swaim mocked edge rusher James Pearce Jr. to the Big Easy.

Defensive tackle Mason Graham is another potential target, and offensive tackle is a popular mock as Pro Football Focus ranked the Saints' unit as the league's 11th-worst offensive line.

Saints' Top Offseason Needs

• Defensive Line
• Offensive Line
• Wide Receiver

The Saints' biggest concern going into the offseason feels pretty black and white -- defensive line. Chase Young is an unrestricted free agent, and retirement is always a worry for the 35-year-old Cameron Jordan. If those two are no longer on the roster, New Orleans will be hard-pressed for playmakers, and the defensive line already ranked 23rd in PFF's pressure rate in 2024.

This is something that will likely need addressed in the draft. It's one of the most expensive positions in football, and the Saints have little to no cap space to work with.

We already mentioned New Orleans' need for offensive linemen, finishing last in PFF's pass blocking grade. However, the unit did have the 10th-best run blocking grade, fueling this run game that was eighth in our adjusted rush offense rankings.

Once Chris Olave (concussion) and Rashid Shaheed (knee) sustained season-ending injury, we saw how little depth the Saints have at receiver. This led to New Orleans finishing with the 8th-worst receiving grade while ranking 25th in adjusted pass offense. The Saints need more reliable targets to back up Olave and Shaheed.

Whoever comes in as New Orleans' new head coach will have a unique challenge ahead. The passing game and defense both need a major overhaul, yet the front office has virtually no cap space. The 2025 NFL Draft will be vital for the Saints' offseason.

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