Alontae Taylor has been a valuable piece for the New Orleans Saints defense for years. Going into the offseason, he is the Saints most pivotal decisions in free agency. Greg Auman of FOX Sports beleives Taylor will stay with the New Orleans Saints. The Saints just have to hope they don't get into a bidding war for his services.
He says that it'll actually be a test for the Black and Gold on whether or not they can keep their homegrown player, due to them "finally escaping salary cap hell." He also mentions that Taylor held his own when the veterans in the secondary (Marshon Lattimore, Tyrann Mathieu) left town.
It's really a no-brainer decision here for the Saints. For years, Taylor has been a mainstay on the defense and a leader in the locker room. However, they are not expected to be the only team vying for Taylor's services.
Alontae Taylor will be a hot commodity that could price himself out of the Saints range
"Two interceptions in 2025, six sacks over the last two years, and at least 10 passes defensed in all four seasons," Auman states. "Was a second-half surge enough to convince Taylor he wants to help the Saints continue their growth?"
That's the big question. After the start that he's had to his career, Alontae Taylor doesn't have to stay in the Big Easy. Other NFL teams should be interested in him now, and with a bidding war looming, he might be priced out of New Orleans. Currently, Taylor's projected market value is $33.4 million over three years. It's in the Saints' price range right now, but possibly not in the future.
Other teams that could be interested in Taylor include the Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Bears, and Indianapolis Colts. All three of those teams will have more cap space than the Saints in 2026, with the Titans leading the NFL with $99 million available for them in the upcoming offseason.
A bidding war for Taylor's services is the last thing the Saints can afford. On one hand, other teams have more of a luxury to go higher than the Saints. Even if the Saints can win that war, it's not the best allocation of their funds. It would serve the team best to get a deal done before free agency to avoid Taylor's market surging.