burningmetal

Releasing players does not get you off the hook. The cap hit stays the same unless you trade them, and give their salary to another team. So no, this isn't going to be an easy fix.

And by the way, who knew this many people would under perform? If they hadn't underperformed, then what? We would have had to cut them anyway. I have no doubt the Saints will get under the cap, simply because they have no choice. But what is this team going to look like when that is done? Like I said, we're going to have to make some shrewd moves, because I don't see us having much money to spend on any big names. Drew has put the vice on the team's collective balls. I'm counting on Sean Payton, not Mickey Loomis to turn this around. We should have won with these players this year.

If I had a nickel for every time I heard that, the NFL would fine and suspend me.

jnormand

Don't forget that guys like Jimmy Graham are gonna want some money. I'm worried about the cap too. I'd like to keep Vilma but not at that price. Will Smith isn't going to play here next year. It's going to be an interesting off season that's for sure.

bobdog86

8 out of 12 players mentioned are on defense, a reasonable place to begin evaluating. Not worried, "In Loomis we trust". At that time, it will be up to those individuals to, "Do your job". I think we'll be alright, though i believe we'll see a lot of new faces on the defensive side of the ball.

Jamessr

Will Smith's contract screams restructure

burningmetal

True, but it isn't like many of them are breaking the bank. There are only a couple players on defense with big salaries, which means if we overhaul the defense, we're still going to have to pay whoever else we bring in to replace them. It's not as easy as just dumping players. There have to be sufficient replacements, and if we want to improve we're going to need money to spend. I don't see where that money is going to come from. IMO, all of the big contract guys will have to restructure and defer some of their salary into some kind of bonus. If they don't, some important players will walk, and we'll just have to find some more under the radar talent.

If I had a nickel for every time I heard that, the NFL would fine and suspend me.

SaintsBro

People were saying in 2010, when the big swing in Saints free agency happened, a lot of players were coming due at the same time, people said that it was going to be almost impossible for the Saints and Loomis to keep the team together, to keep everybody, they predicted that the Super Bowl team would have to be dismantled, the sky was falling, doom and gloom....well we only wound up losing Goodwin and maybe one or two minor guys...not worried. They had that "free agent tracker" graphic thing on nola.com, updated every day, and Loomis lit it up like a pinball machine....

Obviously this is cap instead of free agency but same thing....

The new "normal" is going to be to have guys playing for "league minimum" with all of the $$$ in the signing bonus and incentives and things that don't count against the cap. The Saints and Loomis are already waaaay ahead of the rest of the league in this....did no one here in this thread, see what happened last year? It had to have been a record number of guys who took the restructure, took the money "off the books" instead of in the base pay....the people here crying doom and gloom and trying to blame this on Drew are going to be surprised at how logically and surgically Loomis attacks this...

Some people are panicking, like "OMG there won't be any money, we're going to have to dig to find some bargains and diamonds in the rough!" and it's like, I guess these people don't even realize, WTF has this team been doing the last 7-8 years? Where has everybody been? Loomis and Payon have done virtually NOTHING but find bargains and low-round diamonds in the rough....INCLUDING Drew.

vpheughan

Brees would not sign a contract until the results of the arbitration suit were known.

vpheughan

If cutting the high priced players won't help. How do you get "under the cap?"

vpheughan

The Saints put themselves in the vice by trying to tag Brees for the third time in his career. Thus the arbitration suit.

Rugby Saint II

If we find so many diamonds in the rough and low round treasures then how in the heck did we get so far over the cap?