The New Orleans Saints once spent a first-round pick on Cesar Ruiz in the 2020 NFL Draft. It was a move that, at the time, made sense given the team's need for help on the offensive line. The Michigan product started nine games at right guard as a rookie and put up mixed results.
Ever since his rookie year, Ruiz has continued to be a rollercoaster for the Saints. Some years, he's played well. For instance, 2021 and 2022 he finished the year with a PFF pass-blocking grade in the green. In 2024, he put together the best year of his career, finishing with a PFF overall grade of 67.6. That led to Saints fans believing that maybe, just maybe, Ruiz could be what this team drafted him to be.
Unfortunately, there have been more downs than ups for Ruiz in New Orleans and that's why it feels like his time with the team is coming to an end this offseason. Despite putting together a nice year as a pass-blocker, he's dreadful as a run-blocker. The sentiment amongst the fan base is that Ruiz has been kept around long enough despite up-and-down performances and injuries. Could this offseason be the end of the road for him?
Saints fans hope team parts ways with Cesar Ruiz this offseason
The tricky part here is that the Saints signed Ruiz to an extension in 2023. Ruiz inked a four-year extension worth $44 million and, while Spotrac lists 2026 as a potential out for the team to get out of the contract, it'd result in roughly $16 million in dead money for New Orleans if this route was taken.
Trading Ruiz could be an option but would any team bite there if the Saints are so desperate to get rid of him? The Chargers could make sense, as they need to bolster their offensive line to ensure Justin Herbert stays healthy and Ruiz has proven to be a decent pass-blocker. But, again, would the Chargers make this move if they knew the Saints might move on from Ruiz anyway?
It'll be interesting to see what goes down between Ruiz and the Saints. Sometimes, a change of scenery makes sense for everyone involved and that could be the case for the former first-rounder here. It didn't work out the way everybody hoped it would in New Orleans but if the Saints can trade him and get some picks out of him, that feels like best-case scenario here.