It’s still early in the National Football League offseason, but it doesn’t seem like the New Orleans Saints are going to throw in the towel and rebuild this offseason.
New Orleans brought in former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to be the team’s head coach and general manager Mickey Loomis made it sound like the team is going to roll with Derek Carr for the 2025 season.
There are a lot of cap issues with the Saints, but if they are going to keep Carr, there may not be a clearer indication that the team isn’t rebuilding but instead will try to go for it in the division next year.
The Saints have a lot of talent but could use a boost in the pass rush. Because of this, ESPN’s Aaron Schatz projected New Orleans to be the top landing spot for two-time Pro Bowler Haason Reddick.
EDGE Haason Reddick (NYJ),” Schatz said. “The problem with naming a good free agent here is that the Saints have no money. This would be the right place for a player who had a lost 2024 to sign a one-year “prove it” contract which could lead to more money in 2026. So how about Reddick? Reddick held out for the first part of this past season after getting traded to the Jets.
When he came back, he started only two games and had just one sack. New Orleans would be an interesting match for Reddick because he’s never played with his hand in the dirt, and the Saints are nominally a 4-3 defense. But Reddick needs to prove he can still be the player who had at least 11 sacks in each four consecutive seasons from 2020 to 2023. New Orleans is a good place to do that.”
Reddick had a three-year, $45 million deal but held out from the New York Jets in 2024. He’s heading to free agency and likely will cost a lot even after a rough year. Reddick had 27 sacks across the 2022 and 2023 campaigns while earning two Pro Bowl nods
Adding a player of his caliber would be great for the Saints’ defense. But, there would have to be a lot of work done to the current roster in order to free up enough money to pay for him. Free agency will kick off in about two weeks and we’ll start to see what the team’s strategy will be with Moore as the head coach.
