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When teams set about determining which players they want to re-sign, the salary cap is often a consideration. How much money is allotted per contract, whether the money is base salary or a bonus, and the years on the deal to help with the accounting. It's a complex science we won't get into here, largely because we aren't qualified to.
That brings us to the New Orleans Saints. The Saints, an organization that has treated the salary cap like the “Wait 30 minutes to swim after eating” sign at a pool for over a decade. If the Saints want to sign a player, they'll do it. The salary cap is merely a suggested set of guidelines, nothing to fret about.
But just because the Saints have some big names and team stalwarts with contracts about to end doesn't mean they should run it back. That's partially why the Saints are stuck in the NFL's mushy ground to begin with. Season after season, they seem to be pushing off a rebuild in favor of retaining high-priced players.
So, of the 23 players headed to free agency from the 2023 roster, which players should the Saints be further circumnavigating the cap for? 9-8 is a good record, but not good enough for a playoff appearance, so some retooling of the roster is in order. But these three players have earned their keep, and deserve to be back in 2024.
WR Rashid Shaheed
A second-year undrafted wide receiver out of Weber State, Shaheed emerged in 2023 as a big-play threat every time he ran a route. He finished second on the Saints in receiving yards behind Chris Olave, while averaging more than two and a half yards per reception than Olave did.
Shaheed also tied for the team lead with five receiving touchdowns, and had seven receptions of 40+ yards. Only the Miami Dolphins' Tyreek Hill (nine) and Amari Cooper of the Cleveland Browns (eight) had more.
Although he ran hot and cold across the entire season, Shaheed is a dynamic presence for the Saints offense. Best of all, he is an exclusive rights free agent. That means that if the Saints offer him a one-year qualifying offer for the “league minimum salary based on the player’s experience level,” he cannot negotiate with other teams.
So the Saints should, and in all likelihood will, keep Shaheed.
CB Isaac Yiadom
Yiadom signed with New Orleans to provide depth in the secondary and be an outstanding special teams player. He accomplished the second objective, but he clearly outdid what was expected of him as a cornerback in 2023.
Pressed into action because of Marshon Lattimore's ankle injury in Week 10, Yiadom stepped up and excelleed in coverage. His 48.9 percent completion percentage allowed on targets ranked 12th in the NFL, and only seven players had more passes defended than his 14.
Over the course of a full season, Yiadom is not going to be a number-one cornerback for the Saints. But he proved this season that he has valuable coverage skills, in addition to the value he adds as a special teamer.
With rumors swirling about Lattimore's future with the team, it makes even more sense to retain Yiadom.
DL Malcolm Roach
We'll wrap up with a Saints defensive lineman. This might seem like a curious choice, considering the Saints gave up more rushing yards than all but 10 other NFL teams. But Roach was much more part of the solution than the problem.
Roach missed the last five games of the season, a stretch that saw teams average 106 rushing yards a game against New Orleans. Meanwhile, Roach boasted the top run stop percentage of any NFL player with more than 10 run defense snaps in 2023. He was clearly missed.
Roach doesn't offer much by way of rushing the passer (one career sack,) but his run-stuffing abilities are solidly above-average. He won't break the bank, but Roach is a solid piece in the defensive linemen rotation for New Orleans.
