Panthers poach one of Saints biggest surprises of 2025 in free agency

There’s been quite a few big name acquisitions by the New Orleans Saints, such as Travis Etienne, David Edwards and Kaden Elliss. Demario Davis and Alontae Taylor were a pair of notable departures, as well. All eyes are on Cam Jordan’s future. With all that going on, it was easy to lose track of center Luke Fortner. 

Fortner agreed to terms with the Carolina Panthers on a one year deal worth up to $4.75 million. This comes off the heels of a strong 2025 campaign, in which he started 10 games for the Saints in Erik McCoy's absence.

To think, the Saints acquired Fortner in a trade during the preseason. They sent Khalen Saunders over to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Saints likely weren't keeping Saunders on the roster, and the Jags ended up releasing him during the season. Fortner, though, paid bigger dividends than anyone expected during his lone year in the Big Easy

Erik McCoy is the Saints starter but filling Luke Fortner's shoes will be vital

Fortner may have flown under the radar as a free agent, and the Saints can only hope his absence is just as little of a talking point. It's hard to question his decision. Fortner will be the Panthers’ starting center from Day 1. That's just not a luxury he had with the Saints.

Luke Fortner’s path to starting in New Orleans required Erik McCoy to get injured. That’s been the case in each of the last two seasons. It’s reasonable that Fortner didn’t want to depend on the trifecta. 

The Saints, on the other hand, should completely plan for McCoy going out with an injury. It’s happened in back to back seasons, and the difference between the two season exemplifies the value of Fortner. 

The Saints offensive line crashed and burned in 2024 without McCoy in the lineup. They instantly fell apart without a viable option to fill in for McCoy. Fortner gave the Saints a steady option in 2025 that mitigated the impact. 

With Fortner no longer as an option, the Saints still need to find a backup you can trust. You hope McCoy’s string of bad luck stops, but in case it doesn’t, you don’t want another 2024 on your hands. The Saints might not be in the market for a starting center, but finding a center who can start is an important piece to add.