The New Orleans Saints have had their fair share of returning players over the years who left to pursue other opportunities and then came back to play for them, both before retiring and in their prime. A similar situation will unfold in 2026, with the Saints bringing back linebacker Kaden Elliss from his time with the Atlanta Falcons and signing him to a new three-year contract worth $33 million.
One of the most intriguing parts of this contract, though, is the incentives, as Ellis gets a regular-season sack bonus every year of this contract, increasing from five to 12, giving him more money each time. ESPN’s Katherine Terrell shared the details:
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$250,000: 5 or more sacks
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$350,000: 6 or more sacks
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$450,000: 8 or more sacks
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$500,000: 9 or more sacks
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$600,000: 11 or more sacks
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$750,000: 12 or more sacks
With nearly $3 million in bonuses up for grabs each season, that’s a huge deal, especially for a player who continues to improve as a pass rusher. Giving him some money-making opportunities could lead to seven or more goals in 2022.
He’s totaled 30 and 43 pressures the last two seasons, so if he can start converting some of those into sacks, like Chase Young did in 2025, he should be able to post pretty high numbers this year.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: NFL Free Agency: Saints sign Kaden Elliss to contract
