2 contracts the New Orleans Saints wish they could take back

Andrus Peat

The Saints spent the 13th overall pick on Andrus Peat in the 2015 NFL Draft and the production they got out of him was pretty hit and miss. He made three straight Pro Bowls from 2018 to 2020 but most fans felt he was propped up by the rest of the stout offensive line.

Peat, who was immediately slotted in at left guard, never played a full season and it was a bit surprising when the team inked him to a massive five-year extension worth $57 million. He was a disappointment in year one of the deal, to say the least.

Not only was Peat’s performance subpar at best (PFF grade of 52.1) but the former first-rounder was only active for seven games. During that time, he surrendered three sacks on Jameis Winston and it was clear that Peat only might have looked decent in the past due to the rest of the o-line’s stellar play.

If the Saints could go back in time and redo this contract with Peat, my guess is that they steer clear of extending him. At the very least, they probably offer him a far less expensive contract (maybe three years in the $32 million range).

Unfortunately, now their hands are tied and they can’t afford to cut ties with Peat until maybe next year but even then, it’d be a cap hit of $9 million. Hopefully, NOLA learned its lesson with this deal. Don’t extend an offensive lineman simply based on how the rest of the unit looks.