Players facing contract year in 2016
The New Orleans Saints enter the 2016 NFL season knowing they have players who are entering the last year of their contracts.
As the 2016 offseason concludes and the NFL begins once again it’s not to early to look ahead. The New Orleans Saints have several important players heading into what could be their final year with the team.
That includes players they will most likely look to extend, but also players who really have to prove they have a place on the roster in the future.
We take a look on some of the veteran players who as of right now are on track to become free agents in 2017 and what future they have with the New Orleans Saints.
Tim Lelito
After the New Orleans Saints signed Tim Lelito as an undrafted free agent, he served mostly as a backup through the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
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But after the Saints traded
to the Kansas City Chiefs, Lelito started 13 games last season and served as the primary option next to the Saints legend
.
When it came to run blocking Lelito was amazing. According to Pro Football Focus he was the fifth-best guard in the league when it came to the run game and he played a big role in helping the back have a succesful season.
When it came to pass protecting, he too often allowed pressure from the interior and that can’t continue as Drew Brees gets up in age.
This offseason, Lelito decided to sign a one-year deal, in the hope of receiving a better deal after the 2016 season. That is something the Saints will have to do if Lelito improves, as he can become off the elite guards in the NFL.
John Jenkins
Ever since being drafted, the expectations have been big for John Jenkins. He was expected to come in and take over the job as the run stuffing nose tackle in Rob Ryan’s 3-4 scheme, but after a promising first season, his production fell.
So what is the future for Jenkins now? Not only will he have to adjust to the new 4-3 scheme implemented by Dennis Allen, but also compete with the newly acquired talent at the defensive tackle position.
Jenkins definitely has his work cut out for him in 2016 and he will have to fight for playing time and recognition, but if he is able to do those things he could be receiving a new contract from the New Orleans Saints.
Otherwise, he will most likely be looking for employment from another team for the 2017 season.
Max Unger
The 2015 offseason took a shocking turn when the New Orleans Saints decide to trade Jimmy Graham and a fourth-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for Max Unger and a first-round pick. It was a move that definitely stung at first for Saints fans, but eventually it started to make sense.
Now a year later it’s hard to argue that the Saints won that trade and not only because of Stephone Anthony, but also because of Unger. The veteran center has helped bring stability and class to the offensive line, something they needed after guys like Ben Grubbs and Jahri Evans reached their end with the Saints.
When it comes to production Unger had a solid year in 2015. He played excellent in pass protection, but had his issues when it came to run-blocking. That’s something he will look to correct as we near the 2016 season.
When it comes to Unger, he’s not only a great center, but also an important guy to have around, so look for Mickey Loomis to extend his contract further into the future as soon as possible.
Drew Brees
Sadly, right now Drew Brees is a contract year. The $100 million contract he signed in 2012 expires after 2016 season.
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The best thing for the Saints would have been to extend Brees’ contract earlier to secure him further into his career and also save cap space to make room for more talent.
While the Saints did acquire a bunch of talent, they did it without the Brees extension. But that doesn’t mean we wont see an extension before the conclusion of the season. This could still happen and it would be in both parties’ best interest.
As of right now it looks highly unlikely a deal will happen for next couple of weeks, but the Saints still have a full season to extend Brees.
Hopefully the two sides can agree to a new deal before the 2017 free agency. This would be good for Brees, who has made it clear he loves New Orleans and the organization and would love to finish his career in the black and gold uniform.
But is would also be also for the Saints as they get to keep one of the best quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL and also get more cap space, so they can chase top tier free agents.