re: Blown Up on the Bayou: How the Saints Ended Up in Salary-Cap Hell

Assuming the Saints somehow make the playoffs, and don't make it out of the divisional round, they'll end up with the number 21 pick.

If La'el Collins is still there, I say you cut one of either Grubbs or Evans, and put him in at Guard. If you use this year's #21 pick contract, it's $8.33 million over 4 years and about a $4.4 M signing bonus. That means that Collins would cost about $2 M or less next season. You'd save $4 M versus Evans and possibly upgrade with a player that can dominate at guard AND play tackle.

Cutting Hawthorne saves around $3M, and he can be replaced with possibly a 2nd rounder. I think safety will be fine once Byrd and Bush come back healthy and we actually hire a non-shittastic DB coach.

Fire Ingalls and replace him with any other OL coach, perhaps Kromer if he's fired in Chicago and the Saints can convince him to come back perhaps as co-OC or something.

Finding a NT will be a chore, but isn't impossible as you can cut Bunkley and use the $3 million saved to help go towards that.

Cutting Watson saves 1.5 M, and so is he worth that is the question?

Jordan's cap hit is $7 M, but could be reduced if they agree on a long term deal, much like with Galette.

Our WRs are not as bad as people think. Toon has shown improvement, Stills is still pretty damn good, Cooks was very promising. Add in Jimmy if he gets the sand out his vag and that is a pretty good quartet. I think they likely can convince Colston to stay on and cutting his cap hit by as much as $3 million. I just don't know how much he'll get in the open market at this point.

The Saints have options, and it will be tricky, but it isn't near as bad as some believe it to be.

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@RVargasAdvocate: #saints GM Mickey Loomis: purely looking at salary cap, we're in a better position this offseason than last.

m.twitter.com/RVargasAdvocate

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There's been a few posts/articles breaking the situation down and mirroring what I said.

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I never get tired of hearing that one.

How many years has it been?

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And yet we still sign big free agents every year.

I'm not concerned.

it also sounds like the Saints have an out with Junior now if he's charged and we decide to part ways.

While his $16 million cap hit was always going to get restructured to a bonus, we now have the option to cut him outright according to sources.

If he's not guilty, then i still think his contract is worth it. However, it also gives us leverage if we want him to restructure for less money.

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but how will any savings be allocated to improving the rest of the weak spots in the roster?

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I can't tell the future

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according to sources.

sauces?

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It is being reported by various media outlets, reddit, twitter accounts, etc.

He supposedly told police that he couldn't get arrested for that reason. Depends if there is a clause for it in his contract