The New Orleans Saints decided to secure one of their defensive linemen for the next two seasons, though it might not be the one some expect. While fans wait on information on Cam Jordan, the Saints decided to pick up Bryan Bresee's fifth-year option.
Now locked in through the 2027 season, the former first-round pick hasn't quite lived up to the hype that someone of his draft status usually brings. Not that Bresee's been bad, but more so that he hasn't been great through his first three seasons. With 86 tackles, 14.5 sacks, and 16.5 stuffs, he's just been average.
Bresee is set to earn $13.9 million that year. If the option were for the 2026 season, that would put him as the 24th highest-paid player at his position per Over the Cap. It's a number that the Saints can actually easily afford, as they're expected to have the most cap space they've had in years. Per Spotrac, around $70 million in cap space is expected to be available to them that year.
Saints' Bryan Bresee has only improved since being in the NFL
Bryan Bresee hasn't been necessarily elite so far in his NFL career, but at least he has yet to regress on the field. He's actually managed to make each year better than the last.
Bresee's third season was one that reportedly really impressed the Saints coaching staff. It was arguably his best one yet as well, with his total tackle number (37) exploding. All while learning a new defensive scheme at the same time as taking on additional roles, the 2025 season was probably enough on its own to earn Bresee the option.
Now, Bresee will have two more years to live up to past hype and show the new Saints coaching staff that they were right to put their trust in him. A pillar of the New Orleans defensive line for the past three seasons, Bresee has the chance now to show that he can be, at the very least, the same pillar for the future.
Next time the two come to negotiate, the number could be a lot higher than $13.9 million. Or, it could be a lot lower. At this point, it's really all up to Bresee.