New Orleans Saints News

New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore said at this week's owners' meetings that the team is holding extension talks with top wide receiver Chris Olave. It looks like the Saints are serious about locking up Olave as young quarterback Tyler Shough's top target for the foreseeable future. Last year, when playing with the rookie Shough, Olave caught 66 passes for 780 yards and six touchdowns in 10 games. Overall, the former first-round pass-catcher caught 100 passes for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns in 16 starts in his fourth year in the league. It was a nice bounce-back campaign for Olave in 2025 after he played in a career-low eight games due to injury in 2024. In his four years in the league, Olave has made a name for himself, catching 291 passes on 457 targets for 3,728 yards and 19 touchdowns in 55 games played. As Shough's top target again in 2026, Olave will be a low-end WR1/high-end WR2 in fantasy football leagues.

New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore said on Monday that "they'll go through the whole offseason process" regarding running backs Alvin Kamara (knee) and Travis Etienne Jr., according to Katherine Terrell of ESPN. Moore added that "you can find a role for everyone" and that if you look around the NFL, "plenty of running backs play." Kamara and Etienne are similar RBs in terms of their explosiveness, but Kamara is 30 years old and has finished the last two seasons on the sidelines due to injuries. Kamara ended the 2025 campaign with a knee injury, and a contract restructure this offseason led many to wonder whether he would retire from professional football. For now, Moore continues to say that Kamara is absolutely on the Saints' roster, but after the team signed Etienne to a four-year, $52 million deal, Kamara's role will certainly shrink if he doesn't hang up his cleats and stays in the Big Easy. The former third-rounder in 2017 out of Tennessee played in a career-low 11 games in 2025 and averaged a career-low 3.6 yards per carry for 471 rushing yards and just one touchdown. Believe it or not, but Kamara has never had a 1,000-yard rushing season in his nine years in the NFL.

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (knee), who has been the team's lead back for the last eight seasons, finished the year on Injured Reserve again in 2025 and appears headed for a drastically reduced role in 2026 after the Saints signed Travis Etienne Jr. to a four-year, $52 million contract in free agency. Kamara, 30, played in a career-low 11 games last season and averaged a career-low 3.6 yards per carry for 471 rushing yards and just one touchdown. He added a career-low 33 receptions for 186 yards on 39 targets. Not only is durability now a major concern for the nine-year veteran with plenty of tread on his tires (1,674 rushing attempts), but if he's healthy and stays in New Orleans, he's likely headed for a complementary role behind Etienne in head coach Kellen Moore's offense. Etienne is four years younger than Kamara, and the Saints have a financial incentive to make him the new lead back. There have even been reports of Kamara potentially retiring this offseason, so his fantasy football value is dropping in a hurry in both redraft and dynasty/keeper leagues.

New Orleans Saints running back Travis Etienne Jr. was one of the first names off the board when the legal tampering window opened ahead of the new league year. Now that the dust has settled on the early wave of free agency, his landing spot in the bayou looks to be one of the better fits from a fantasy perspective. In year one under head coach Kellen Moore, the Saints ran one of the fastest paces of play in the league, and their signing of former Bills guard David Edwards to a four-year, $61 million contract should help to bolster the interior of a line that ranked near the bottom of the league in run blocking. Etienne's own signing of a top-of-the-market four-year, $52 million deal also signals the Saints' intent to make him a true workhorse back. His 325 touches in 2023 mark a career-high by a wide margin and uncoincidentally resulted in a career-best RB3 finish in Half-PPR formats.

New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson broke through with the best year of his career in 2025, recording 77 receptions for 889 yards and three touchdowns on 102 targets across 17 games. Johnson fully emerged as the Saints' TE1, playing at least 70% of his team's offensive snaps in 14 out of 17 contests. While New Orleans added veteran tight end Noah Fant in free agency, Johnson should remain firmly atop the team's depth chart in 2026. In addition, the outlook for the Saints' pass game and offense in general is looking up after the team's strong close to the 2025 season with then-rookie quarterback Tyler Shough under center. Johnson finished second on the team in targets behind only star wideout Chris Olave in 2025, and the Saints have yet to add any significant competition for targets this offseason. Johnson's long-term fantasy upside is limited as he enters his age-30 season, but he profiles as a solid streaming option at tight end with a safe production floor.

The New Orleans Saints have signed quarterback Zach Wilson to a one-year contract, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Wilson and Spencer Rattler will presumably compete for the backup quarterback role behind Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist Tyler Shough. The former No. 2 pick has bounced around the NFL in a variety of depth roles. Ever since losing his starting job with the New York Jets, he has spent time in Denver, Miami, and now, New Orleans. He has attempted just 11 passes since his departure from the Jets, and he has never thrown for more than nine touchdowns in a single season. This is a very low-risk move for the Saints, giving them an experienced yet unproven quarterback to offer additional depth behind Shough. Even if Wilson ends up starting games in 2026, he'll be tough to trust in fantasy football lineups.

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Devaughn Vele is an intriguing under-the-radar sleeper for 2026. Acquired from the Denver Broncos last year, Vele started to turn a corner following the Saints' Week 11 bye. In four games after the bye, he caught 19 passes for 239 yards and one touchdown. He averaged 12.2 points per game in PPR leagues during that span, ranking as the overall WR21. Unfortunately, Vele injured his shoulder in Week 15 and missed the final three contests of the season. Despite his late-season injury, Vele produced enough when healthy to suggest that he might play a key role on offense in 2026. He's currently listed as the No. 2 receiver on the depth chart, slotting in behind Chris Olave. Quarterback Tyler Shough had a great rookie season, and there's reason to believe he can support two fantasy-relevant receivers next year. We know this Saints coaching staff likes Vele because they traded a fourth-round pick and a seventh-round pick for him, and we know there's a solid rapport between him and Shough. Could it translate to WR3/flex production in 2026? It's certainly possible, which means dynasty managers should consider buying low on Vele this offseason.

After injuries limited him to just eight games played in 2024, New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave rebounded in a big way in 2025. The 25-year-old set career highs across the board by hauling in 100 receptions for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns on 156 targets across 16 contests. Olave also got some much-needed help from the quarterback position in the form of 2025 second-rounder Tyler Shough, who emerged as the clear QB1 in New Orleans over the second half of the year. Olave's durability is a red flag in his dynasty profile, as he has an alarming history of concussions dating back to his college career at Ohio State. Still, he should be entering 2026 healthy and remains the clear number one pass-catcher in a Saints offense that currently has largely unproven wideouts Devaughn Vele and Mason Tipton penciled in as its WR2 and WR3. Particularly in PPR formats, Olave profiles as a borderline dynasty WR1 heading into 2026.

The New Orleans Saints announced on Tuesday that they agreed to terms on an undisclosed one-year deal with free-agent running back Ty Chandler, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The Saints added Travis Etienne Jr. to their backfield in free agency and could move on from veteran Alvin Kamara as a result. In the Big Easy, the 27-year-old Chandler will most likely be competing for backup duties with Kendre Miller, Devin Neal, and Audric Estime going into the 2026 season. The former fifth-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2022 out of North Carolina was limited to only three games in 2025 due to injury, carrying the ball 17 times for 47 yards and catching three passes for 11 yards. Chandler's best season came in Year 2 in 2023, when he had 102 rushing attempts for 461 yards and three touchdowns, adding 21 receptions for another 159 yards in 17 games (four starts). With a likely limited role on offense with the Saints, Chandler is, at best, a dynasty/keeper stash for RB depth.

New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller was once viewed as a high-upside investment in fantasy football, but his value now continues to decline ahead of the 2026 season. Through the first few years of his career in New Orleans, Miller was held in check by injuries, coaching staff decisions, and the stardom of Alvin Kamara. To this point, he has never played more than eight games in a season. Finally, just as Kamara's career was starting to slow down and the Saints brought in a new coaching staff, it looked like things might be trending up for Miller. At first, they were; he had 65 yards and a touchdown against the Bills in Week 4 of the 2025 season. However, his upside came crashing down as he tore his ACL in Week 7 and was ruled out for the rest of the year. Now fighting his way back from injury once again, Miller faces a new challenge. The Saints made an enormous running back splash in free agency, signing Travis Etienne Jr. to a multi-year deal. The move signals that Etienne will be the clear lead back in New Orleans going forward, with Devin Neal stepping into the No. 2 ball-carrier role -- and that assumes that Kamara's time with the Saints is done. He's still under contract, so there's the potential for the Saints to carry Etienne, Kamara, and Neal into gameday, which could make Miller a healthy scratch. Regardless of whether he ends up as the third or fourth back in New Orleans next year, the bottom line is that Miller continues to trend in the wrong direction in fantasy football, especially as he still works through the components of his ACL recovery. He's droppable in many shallow and mid-depth dynasty formats.

A second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough took over as his team's starter in Week 8 of his rookie campaign. The 26-year-old went 5-4 as a starter and finished the year with 2,384 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, and six interceptions across 11 games played. Shough showed some ability to make plays with his legs as well, collecting 186 rushing yards and three rushing scores on 45 attempts. While Shough's numbers don't necessarily jump off the page, he finished the year on a high note. Over his last four games played, Shough recorded 1,172 passing yards and five touchdowns while throwing just one interception. He's locked in as the Saints QB1 heading into 2026, and could establish himself as the team's long-term answer at the position with a strong sophomore season. Shough profiles as a solid QB2 in superflex formats heading into 2026 and carries some upside in dynasty leagues as well.

Saints running back Devin Neal was a popular late-season waiver pickup in 2025 when injuries pushed him into a starting role from Weeks 13 through 15, but with New Orleans' signing of Travis Etienne Jr. to a four-year deal, he has to be viewed as one of fantasy's biggest fallers in the opening week of free agency. Neal handled 15 opportunities per game during his brief starting stint, scoring twice in those three games before a hamstring injury landed him on injured reserve to end the year. Now he profiles as a clear backup to Etienne, and with most of the obvious running back-needy teams already bolstering the position through free agency, there is no guarantee the Saints find a trade partner for veteran Alvin Kamara, potentially pushing Neal further down the depth chart.

Andrew Siciliano wonders whether New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (knee) will retire this offseason after an interesting question-and-answer session with head coach Kellen Moore on Kamara and new RB addition Travis Etienne Jr. on Thursday. Moore didn't specifically answer a reporter's question on whether the Saints expect Kamara to be a part of the team in 2026, other than saying Kamara "means a lot to us." When asked specifically if Kamara is considering retirement, Moore said, "I'm not going to get into all that stuff." The Saints restructured the 30-year-old's contract recently in a way that puts his future with the organization in question, and there are only more questions about Kamara after New Orleans signed Etienne to a four-year, $52 million contract on Monday. Kamara has ended the last two seasons injured, and if he wants to continue playing in the NFL, he could be doing so outside the Big Easy for the first time in his career.

The New Orleans Saints have signed linebacker Kaden Elliss to a three-year, $33 million deal that includes $23 million guaranteed, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The contract has a maximum potential value of nearly $39 million. Rapoport describes Elliss as a new "lynchpin" within New Orleans' defense, as he'll take on a key role in the defensive rotation after a successful stint in Atlanta. He started all 51 games over three years with the Falcons, amassing 3.5 sacks, 10 quarterback hits, 107 tackles, and one interception in 2025. While Elliss is switching teams in the NFC South, this isn't exactly a new home for him. He spent his first four NFL seasons with the Saints, ascending into an 11-game starter during his contract year in 2022.

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.