AsylumGuido

The two part question is, is there another free agent out there that can perform as well as Fairley did for the Saints this past season and at a lower cost?

If the Saints went with another free agent that wouldn't perform as well the Saints would be weakened.

If there was another free agent out there that the Saints feel could perform as well could they get him at a lower cost?

As SFIAH said, the Saints, nor any other franchise, are in a position to strong-arm any free agent. The market will set the price.

Personally, I would be more comfortable with the Saints paying up for Fairley than paying less for any other free agent. Fairley has proven himself. We have been burned enough times by going to outside free agents.

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” — Winston Churchill

ScottF

Very true with market price, and if it is $5 mill or less I think it is a good match. He DID have his best year, but his stats don't merit top 10 money

Unfortunately we have been burned (often) paying up as well, particularly with def linemen