The New Orleans Saints were in a precarious situation with the salary cap coming into the 2023 offseason. Once again they were well over the salary cap, which led to general manager Mickey Loomis having to work hard restructuring and reworking deals. It also led to numerous players leaving New Orleans in free agency for more money.
Despite the monetary restraints, the Saints did a good job of filling some holes on the roster during the offseason. The biggest addition was Derek Carr, who will provide the stability at quarterback that the franchise has been seeking since Drew Brees announced his retirement a few years ago.
Heading into training camp, the roster moves are far from over. Cut-down days aren’t far away and there will be a lot of factors that go into those decisions. Depth is among the most important, but if the Saints need to open up some more salary cap space, contracts will be considered.
That is partly why Taysom Hill was one player mentioned by Liam Hanley of ClutchPoints as a cut candidate ahead of the 2023 season. Hill is no longer needed as a quarterback given Carr’s presence and head coach Dennis Allen was reluctant to use him three last season, going with Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton.
Dalton has since moved on, signing a deal with the Carolina Panthers, but Winston returned to back up Carr. Those two are more than capable of handling things under center, meaning Hill has one less use. As a hybrid weapon without a defined role, releasing him and recouping some cap space could make the most sense.
Another veteran to keep an eye on is kicker Wil Lutz. Lutz is coming off the worst kicking season of his career, connecting on only 74.2 percent of his field goal attempts. In the final season of his contract, the Saints could save $1.7 million by releasing him. He is facing competition this offseason from Blake Grupe.
Last, but not least, Michael Thomas could see his time in the Big Easy come to an end. Many people thought Thomas would become a free agent earlier this offseason, but a restructured contract led to him remaining with the franchise.
Given how much money could be owed to Thomas, as Hanley shared he has $61 million in reachable bonuses, so the Saints could be better off moving on. The depth chart is a little thin at wide receiver, but Thomas isn’t someone the team has been able to count on for three seasons; it is hard to envision that changing in 2023 now that he is another year older.
