3 pending NOLA Saints free agents that won’t be back in 2022

The NOLA Saints have a lot of problems to address this offseason. They’ll see some key players hit free agency and with all of the financial issues they currently have, it’s a good bet that NOLA will have to part with some players they’d probably like to keep around.

Here are three pending free agents that will be donning another team’s uniform in 2022.

3. Tre’Quan Smith

The Saints spent a third-round pick on Tre’Quan Smith in the 2018 NFL Draft with the hope that he could blossom into a WR2 for them. That has not been the case, sadly. Smith hasn’t been bad but he certainly isn’t putting up WR2-caliber numbers.

His best season came as a rookie in 2018 when the UCF product hauled in 28 receptions for 427 yards and five touchdowns. He also put up decent numbers in 2020 with 34 receptions for 448 yards but had one less touchdown that season.

With Emmanuel Sanders no longer on the team and Michael Thomas not playing this season, it was Smith’s time to step up and show he could be a starting wideout. He just hasn’t done it and as a result, probably won’t be re-signing with the Saints in 2022. He’ll probably be happy about that too, as this will allow him to go to a team that has a better quarterback situation.