SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 24: Emmanuel Sanders #17 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after making a catch for a first down against the Green Bay Packers at Levi’s Stadium on November 24, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The New Orleans Saints will be forced to make some tough roster decisions following the 2020 season.
The New Orleans Saints brought Drew Brees back on a two-year deal and that means the team will be going all-in for a Super Bowl in 2020 and ’21. Yet Brees also carries a $36 million cap hit in 2021 and Alvin Kamara also needs an extension if the team wants him as part of the offense moving forward.
The Saints are projected to be way over the cap in 2021 and several players will end up being cut simply because of financial reasons. This is not a guess, but a reality for a team that has handed out plenty of major contracts with a few more due to others.
The good news for the team is that they are under the cap and all set for the season in 2020. The front office should already have an idea of players who could be cut and every game will essentially serve as an audition for those players to keep their job following the season.
Let’s take a look at three players who stand out as cap casualties following the 2020 season.
3
Emmanuel Sanders
WR
Emmanuel Sanders joins the Saints after a brief stint with the San Francisco 49ers that saw him nearly win his second Super Bowl. One pass from Jimmy Garoppolo that was just off the mark could have made the difference and made Sanders a hero. Alas, he is now with the Saints.
The focal point in the receiving corps is without a doubt Michael Thomas. He will once again receive a majority of the targets and is under contract through 2024.
Sanders just signed a two-year deal and is a $4 million cap hit in 2020. That figure then jumps up to $10 million in 2021 when Sanders will be 34 years old. His dead cap number is $4 million that year and the Saints will likely look at those $6 million in savings as a necessity.
Having Thomas makes just about every other receiver on the roster expendable. The team has a long list of receivers behind Thomas and Sanders on near-minimum deals who can be plugged into the offense. The veteran Sanders would keep his job in an ideal world, but the Saints just can’t afford him and that backloaded cap figure.