Saints’ 2021 free agency class is so loaded it’s scary
The New Orleans Saints will have to pay people this next offseason, and while Mickey Loomis always does a solid job, this may be his biggest challenge yet.
General manager Mickey Loomis is going to have to pull off his biggest stunt yet to keep the New Orleans Saints a Super Bowl contender into 2021.
Why?
Well, because several of their mainstream stars are going to have the option of leaving.
On the list of the team’s potential free agents is Demario Davis, Alvin Kamara, Jared Cook, and Sheldon Rankins.
To be fair, that doesn’t even start to scratch the surface of the players that they could lose next offseason.
Craig Robertson, Marcus Williams, PJ Williams, Kiko Alonso, Alex Anzalone, and Trey Henderickson round out the list of players that their absence could create somewhat of a hole in the roster.
The team’s defense could be shattered if they lose those players, one reason they traded up to select a linebacker in the 2020 NFL Draft.
For the Saints, they’re going to have to watch a few of them walk just as they watched Vonn Bell head to Cincinnati this offseason. Williams, Davis and Kamara are going to be the trio that they look to maintain, or at least that’s what makes the most sense for the team.
After bringing in Adam Trautman in the draft, as well, the team is seemingly shoring up their tight end depth in case Cook decides to walk. That’s why Loomis deserves more credit than he typically gets.
Those decisions and those picks were smart and prepared the team well for the future, filling the holes that may open up as a result of the 2021 offseason.
However, at least for a few of the highly-skilled players, the money will need to be there. After signing Taysom Hill to a one-year deal following his first-round tender, locking him up for two years, the Saints may not have the money to retain the best of their assets.
Loomis has his work cut out for him in the near future; that’s for sure.