Ranking the top 5 players the New Orleans Saints should pay

AJ Klein

I was debating whether or not to put Andrus Peat or Klein here considering they both seem to be a potential walk this offseason. Both have been solid additions to their respective unit despite some injury to both parties.

However, Peat is a more likely candidate in my mind to be let go considering he has already demanded a bigger contract and without him, in the lineup, the last few weeks of the season did not seem to alter the number of sacks allowed once the Saints fitted Nick Easton into the lineup.

By a pure numbers perspective, Klein had another solid year with the Saints. Although there was no massive improvement from his 2018 numbers, Klein still managed 2.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble and a pick-six in the last regular-season game.

Klein was third on the team in tackles, behind only all-pro Demario Davis and Vonn Bell with 69 tackles.

He has been a great addition to the revived linebacker core and essential in establishing a run defense that is one of the best in the league because of his aggressive playstyle. His tackling prowess makes him valuable alone.

It could be argued that Klein should be a higher priority in the Saints’ offseason endeavors. His three-year $15 million contract is definitely something that could hurt the Saints’ salary cap as they are attempting to draw up a big contract for Kamara.

Klein is definitely a deserving player of a payday, but it’s hard to justify paying him over a star-like AK41.