New Orleans Saints News

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara could hit the trade market after the team signed running back Travis Etienne Jr. during free agency. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, "there now are questions around the league about whether Kamara will be moving on from New Orleans and whether the Saints would be willing [to] trade him." Several months ago, Kamara threatened to retire if the Saints traded him, but it's fair to wonder if he might feel differently after New Orleans brought in a clear every-down option in Etienne. Kamara, 30, is presumably in the final stages of his career anyway. He mustered just 471 rushing yards, 186 receiving yards, and one touchdown across 11 games last year, losing ground to players like Devin Neal and Kendre Miller. Now, the addition of Etienne massively shakes up New Orleans' backfield. Managers in dynasty leagues have probably missed their window to sell Kamara, but that opportunity could briefly reopen if he gets traded to a different team in the upcoming days or weeks.

ESPN's Katherine Terrell writes that New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara's (knee) long-term future is "uncertain," with the team possibly "looking to get younger and spend less" at the RB position. Kamara's previous salary cap number in 2026 before his contract restructure of $18.63 million was one of the highest on the team. It didn't make sense for the Saints to take that hit with a player going into his age-31 season who has finished the last two seasons unable to play due to injuries. After restructuring his contract, Kamara's new cap number is at $10.51 million, while the team will save $8.12 million. The unusual manner in which the Saints restructured Kamara's contract will give them some flexibility if they part ways with him this offseason. It means that Kamara being released by New Orleans could be imminent. Either way, the five-time Pro Bowler's 2026 fantasy stock is going to be way down. For all of Kamara's success in his nine years in the NFL, he's never rushed for 1,000 yards in a single season.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler started the first eight games of the 2025 season before being benched in favor of rookie Tyler Shough. Questions now exist about how the 25-year-old, who is still under contract through the 2027 season, fits into the team's future plans, but according to ESPN's Katherine Terrell, the Saints have not received any calls about his potential trade value. Rattler is now 1-13 as an NFL starter, largely assuming the role out of necessity, but it would seem that his future in the league will be that of a backup, either in New Orleans or elsewhere.

New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill's football future remains uncertain heading into the 2026 offseason, according to Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com. The Saints gave Hill a fitting send-off in his final home game of the 2025 season, in case he decided to retire after the year ended. Fast forward two months later, and the 35-year-old remains undecided on what the future holds. On one hand, he still has some production left in the tank after amassing 114 rushing yards, 91 receiving yards, and 57 passing yards last year. On the other hand, his stats took a step backward, and he dropped to the overall TE58 in PPR leagues, his lowest mark since 2018. Further complicating matters is the fact that Hill is an impending free agent, so within just a few days, he'll no longer have an NFL contract. It's possible that Hill will test the market before deciding whether to play football in 2026. Even if he does come back for another year, he's no longer a dependable option in dynasty or redraft leagues.

The New Orleans Saints restructured tight end Juwan Johnson's contract on Friday to free up $6.29 million in salary cap space for the 2026 season, according to Katherine Terrell of ESPN. The Saints converted part of Johnson's base salary into a signing bonus. In the first season with Kellen Moore as the head coach in New Orleans, Johnson had career-highs in catches (77), targets (102), and receiving yards (889) while scoring three times in 17 games in his sixth year in the league. The 29-year-old former undrafted free agent out of Penn State showed nice chemistry with young quarterback Tyler Shough last year, and he should enter 2026 fantasy football drafts this fall as a decent low-end TE1 option with a strong floor if you decide to wait at the position.

The New Orleans Saints and running back Alvin Kamara (knee) agreed to an adjusted contract on Friday, lowering his salary cap number for the 2026 season by $8 million, according to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network. It's not a standard base salary-to-bonus conversion, but it will provide cap flexibility if he's not with the team. Specifically, $10.155 million of Kamara's salary was converted. It's a situation to monitor for the 30-year-old back, who played in a career-low 11 games in 2025 due to a knee injury. Kamara finished with a career-low 471 rushing yards and only one touchdown on 131 carries, adding 33 receptions on 39 targets for 186 yards and no touchdowns through the air. He has a lot of tread on his tires with 1,674 rushing attempts in his nine seasons in the NFL, and regardless of where he's playing in 2026, Kamara's fantasy stock will be way down, possibly in a timeshare.

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan will become a free agent when the new league year begins next week, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter. Jordan's contract will automatically void if he doesn't have a new deal in place before Wednesday at 4 pm ET. The 36-year-old veteran has played 15 seasons and became the Saints' franchise sack leader in 2022. He has 132 career sacks, all with the Saints. If Jordan's contract voids, the Saints will absorb $18.76 million in dead money on the 2026 salary cap. If they sign him to a new contract after that deadline, the dead money from the previous contract and any money from the new deal would both count against the salary cap. His 10.5 sacks in 2025 were his most since the 2021 campaign. Jordan has said he would like to finish his career in New Orleans, but if the Saints don't want him back at his price, he may hang up his cleats.

Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr retired abruptly last offseason, but he made it clear recently that he'd be willing to come out of retirement to play for a Super Bowl contender. However, the New Orleans Saints haven't heard from a team that wants to make a deal for Carr, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio believes that Carr's best chance to chase a Super Bowl ring in 2026 is to wait for a season-ending injury to a QB playing for a contender, and then hope that team has interest in trading for him. If nothing happens before this year's trade deadline, Carr might need to ask the Saints to release his rights, which would make him a free agent. The 34-year-old veteran is a four-time Pro Bowler, but he went to the postseason only twice in his 11 NFL seasons. In a career-low 10 games with the Saints in 2024, Carr completed 67.7% of his passes for 2,145 yards, 15 touchdowns, and five interceptions.

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara had his 2025 season cut short due to a knee sprain suffered during Week 12. Before his injury, Kamara was already performing below fantasy managers' expectations with just one touchdown and a career-low 3.6 yards per carry. Most notably, Kamara's targets per game dropped to an average of 3.5 compared to 6.7 and 6.4 targets in 2023 and 2024, respectively. The veteran running back also had a 19.1% missed tackle rate this season, his lowest since at least 2018. Kamara is still under contract for the 2026 season, and his cap hit is expected to rise, making him a prime candidate for restructuring. If he suits up as a Saint in 2026, Kamara profiles as a low-end RB2, buoyed mainly by name recognition, due to his drop in efficiency and decline in passing game involvement.

After a down year in 2024 in which he missed nine games due to injury, New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave bounced back to form in 2025. Across 16 games, the 25-year-old hauled in 100 receptions for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns on 156 targets. Olave's production reached a new level after Tyler Shough took over as the Saints' starting quarterback in Week 8. Across nine games alongside Shough, Olave hauled in 56 catches for 723 yards and six touchdowns on 85 targets. With a full season's worth of games playing with Shough in 2026, Olave could be in line for the best year of his career. Injuries remain a concern for Olave, as he's missed 13 games across four NFL seasons and ended 2025 sidelined by a blood clot in his lung. However, he's expected to make a full recovery heading into 2026, and he's proven a safe per-game production floor throughout the course of his career. In dynasty formats, Olave's fantasy stock is rising as a result of his encouraging 2025 season.

New Orleans Saints center Will Clapp announced his retirement from the NFL on Wednesday, according to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. Clapp, 30, will hang up his cleats after seven years in the NFL. He was originally drafted by the Saints in the seventh round in 2018 out of LSU. He suffered a Lisfranc foot injury in the preseason last year and missed the entire 2025 campaign. Clapp spent the first four seasons of his career with the Saints before playing two seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers and one year for the Buffalo Bills in 2024. He started only 22 of the 66 games he appeared in over the course of his career. Underhill thinks that Clapp may become New Orleans' assistant offensive-line coach now that he is retired from his playing days.

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Devaughn Vele (shoulder) caught 25 of his 39 targets for 293 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games (seven starts) in his second year in the NFL. Statistically, it was a step backward after he had 41 catches for 475 yards and three touchdowns on 55 targets in 13 games (seven starts) in his rookie campaign with the Denver Broncos. The 28-year-old finished his sophomore season on Injured Reserve with a shoulder injury, too. However, Vele had become a much bigger part of New Orleans' offense just before his season-ending injury in Week 15. In his final three games, Vele had 16 catches on 19 targets for 202 yards and one of his two touchdowns on the year. The former seventh-rounder by Denver has some momentum going into next season, but his role could change drastically based on what the team does in free agency and the draft.

There is a "strong belief" that former New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr is "very serious" about unretiring and returning to the NFL in 2026, sources told Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports. Carr's rights belong to the Saints, but Schultz writes that teams with winning aspirations "have real interest" in the former four-time Pro Bowler. The 34-year-old's retirement last offseason was a surprise, and now he's got the itch to come back now that he's fully healthy. The former second-round selection by the Raiders in 2014 out of Fresno State, Carr played in only 10 games for the Saints due to injury in 2024 and threw for 2,145 yards, 15 touchdowns, and five interceptions. His prime for fantasy purposes came from 2018 to 2021 with the Raiders, when he had four straight seasons of 4,000 passing yards. Carr could be in contention for a starting role in 2026 if he comes out of retirement, but it's a stretch to think he'll be much more than a low-end QB2 in fantasy if it ends up happening.

New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller (knee) had his 2025 season cut short after he suffered a torn ACL in Week 7. Before getting injured, the 23-year-old had recorded 223 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on 52 touches across seven games played. A third-round pick by New Orleans in 2023, Miller appeared in just 14 games and recorded 454 total yards from scrimmage in his first two years in the NFL. His 2025 injury was an unfortunate setback, as Miller had just begun to carve out a real role in the Saints' backfield alongside veteran New Orleans back Alvin Kamara. Given the timing of Miller's injury, he should have a chance to be ready for the start of the 2026 season. However, he will have to fight for touches with Kamara and 2025 sixth-round rusher Devin Neal, as well as anyone else New Orleans brings in over the offseason. Fantasy managers in dynasty formats may want to downgrade Miller's value heading into 2026.

New Orleans Saints running back Devin Neal (hamstring) was taking on a large role as a rookie before being placed on injured reserve for the final three weeks of the 2025 regular season. Neal had 246 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns over his final four games, ranking as the overall RB23 in full-PPR leagues during that span. The dynamic in New Orleans right now is very interesting. On one hand, the Saints have a somewhat crowded backfield with Neal, Alvin Kamara, and Kendre Miller (knee). On the other hand, the competition for the lead-back role is wide open. Neal, of course, peaked at 20 touches in a single game last year and is coming back from injury. Miller is also returning from an injury and has struggled to break out through three years in the league. Finally, Kamara is a former superstar but is likely in the final stages of his career after posting new career lows in yards per carry (3.6) and receptions (33). As a result, it seems like there's a real path for Neal to produce in 2026, assuming the Saints don't bring in top-tier running back talent via free agency, trade, or the draft. He's a very appealing "buy" in dynasty leagues this offseason.

New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson finally broke out during the 2025 season, largely due to his rapport with rookie quarterback Tyler Shough. Last year was Johnson's sixth in the NFL, and it seems like there had been buzz about a Johnson breakout nearly every season. It didn't come to fruition through his first five campaigns in the NFL, mostly because of a crowded tight end room and poor quarterback play. He turned the corner early last season with Spencer Rattler at quarterback, but he really took his productivity to the next level with Shough under center. Johnson finished the 2025 season with 77 catches, 889 yards, and three touchdowns, ranking as the overall TE8 in full-PPR leagues. Signed through 2027, Johnson has a steady future in New Orleans and could take another big step forward next year, especially now that the Saints seem to have some consistency at the quarterback position. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound tight end should enter 2026 fantasy drafts as a mid-to-low TE1.

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara is trending downward ahead of the 2026 NFL season. While Kamara is under contract for one more year with the Saints, he's losing his grasp on the New Orleans backfield due to his age, injury issues, and the emergence of younger teammates. Kamara was the overall RB46 in full-PPR leagues during the 2025 season, which was the first time he ever finished lower than RB16. While part of his slip can be attributed to Kamara missing six games, he also showcased reduced volume and effectiveness. He averaged fewer than 15 touches per game, he finished with a career-low 3.6 yards per carry, and he only scored one touchdown all year. He is now 30 years old and suffered a knee sprain in Week 12, so age and injuries may be catching up to him. He also faces more competition than ever, as Devin Neal (hamstring) and Kendre Miller (knee) both flashed the ability to occupy lead-back roles before landing on season-ending injured reserve. Trade rumors have circled around Kamara for several years, but he has indicated that he wants to remain a Saint for life. Now, it's a question of whether New Orleans wants to keep him on the books for 2026. This team is looking to get younger, and cutting Kamara post-June 1 would create $8.5 million in cap space.

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave will be in WR1 territory in 2026 fantasy football drafts in what will be quarterback Tyler Shough's first full year as the starter. In his fourth year in the NFL in 2025, Olave set career-highs across the board in targets (156), receptions (100), receiving yards (1,163), and touchdowns (nine) despite failing to play in a full season for the fourth time. The 25-year-old former first-rounder missed the Week 18 season finale due to a blood clot in his lung. Thankfully, the expectation is that Olave will be fully ready for the start of next season. If not for an injury last year, Olave most likely would have reached the 1,000-yard mark in all four of his campaigns. Injuries might be a deterrent for fantasy managers, but the chemistry that Olave showed with Shough is a great sign. Olave will come off the board in the early rounds of fantasy drafts later this year.

The New Orleans Saints announced on Tuesday that they re-signed safety Julian Blackmon (shoulder) to an undisclosed one-year deal, per Ross Jackson of Locked On Saints. Blackmon played in only one game for the Saints in 2025 in his first year with the team due to a shoulder injury. The 27-year-old defensive back from Utah had seven tackles (four solo) and a pass breakup in his only game played, but he had 80-plus total tackles the two previous seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. As long as Blackmon is fully recovered from his shoulder injury for the start of the 2026 season, he should be expected to start in the Saints' secondary in 2026 in what will be his seventh year in the league. Blackmon and strong safety Justin Reid have the potential to be one of the better safety duos in the NFL.

New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore said on Wednesday that tight end Tasom Hill's shoulder injury that he suffered in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Atlanta Falcons was "just an AC" joint sprain, according to Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football. It means that Hill should be fully ready in advance of the 2026 season, whether it be back in New Orleans or somewhere else. The 35-year-old Swiss Army Knife offensive weapon is headed for unrestricted free agency when the calendar flips to March. There's also a chance that Hill decides to hang up his cleats after nine years in the NFL with the Saints. In 13 games played (five starts) in 2025, Hill had 52 rushing attempts for just 114 yards (2.2 yards per carry) and one touchdown on the ground. He added 11 receptions for 91 yards through the air. Hill's fantasy outlook will depend on what team he's playing for if he decides to return for a 10th season, but he'll most likely be off the fantasy radar in 12-team leagues.