One of the most fascinating parts of every NFL offseason is how teams view their pending free agents and whether they try to bring them back or let them go. The New Orleans Saints have a few players this spring, notably Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis and Alontae Taylor. Since their cap space has been freed up a bit more than in previous years, they have some room to bring back some players while also adding to the roster.
The question is do they want all three back, and if they do, can they get them back? Alontae Taylor might be the most interesting of the bunch, as he’s been 50/50 with the Saints over the years, with some truly shockingly good performances at times, and then some lulls that bring him back down to earth.
advertise
Fox Sports’ Greg Allman believes he’s done enough for New Orleans to consider retaining him, noted his performance statistically and believes Taylor has some leverage in whether he wants to return, ranking him as the No. 43 free agent in this class.
Taylor, 27, will be a good test to see if the Saints can retain their best homegrown player and finally escape the salary cap hell they’ve been in for years. Taylor, a second-round pick, has performed well after veterans in New Orleans’ secondary departed — two interceptions in 2025, six sacks the last two years and at least 10 passes defended in all four seasons. Will that second-half surge be enough to convince Taylor that he wants to help the Saints continue to grow?
prophecy: Renew contract with Saints
It’s hard to imagine the Saints being willing to spend a bunch of cash to keep Taylor long-term, especially given how the cornerback market has been over the past few seasons. While he did show flashes, this inconsistency makes him a bit difficult to use as a every-game player and may be worth finding a replacement at a lower price in the draft.
Ultimately, it all comes down to what Mickey Loomis and Brandon Staley think of Taylor and whether they can see him being a future asset for this team.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Fox Sports says re-signing Alontae Taylor could be Saints’ best move
