Heading into 2025, the New Orleans Saints looked like a team without much of a future. They didn’t have much cap space, they had a lot of aging veterans on their roster and they were the last team to hire a head coach. But all of that changed as soon as Tyler Shough stepped on the field.

The Saints’ rookie balled out, winning five of his 10 starts while totaling over 2,500 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. All of a sudden, the outlook on the Saints has changed, and with the NFC South as weak as it has ever been, they’re ready for a playoff push.

StickToTheModel released an awesome general manager tool where you can restructure contracts to create cap space, sign free agents and run a mock draft for your favorite team. Today, I’ll be using it to create the perfect offseason for the Saints.

Roster Management

The biggest part of the Saints’ offseason won’t be free agency or the draft; it’ll be roster management. They’re currently a little over $10 million in the red, but they are no longer in “cap hell,” even though that’s what everyone believes.

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They can move money around like they always do, but they’re not forced to keep kicking the can down the road with guys like Cam Jordan and Demario Davis, as they’ve been in the past. They have the freedom to spend this offseason, which is something they haven’t been able to do in a long, long time.

First order of business is deciding who to restructure. DE Chase Young, C Eric McCoy, TE Juwan Johnson, LB Pete Warner and S Justin Reid were my choices, which in total cleared over $28 million.

Then, it was time to make some cuts. DT Davon Godchaux’s playing time fell off late last season, and he’s not getting any younger.

I just don’t see him playing a big role next year, and he saved nearly $7 million bucks. The only other big cut I made was Cesar Ruiz. He’s underperformed basically his entire career and created another $9.5 million in cap space, so it was a no-brainer.

Finally, the only extension I handed out was to WR Chris Olave. After a career year in 2025, he’s driven his price tag way up, and I was able to get him on a four-year deal worth $31.5 million per season, making him the seventh-highest paid receiver between A.J. Brown ($32 million) and Amon-Ra St. Brown ($30 million), according to Over the Cap.

Heading into free agency, I had just about $40 million to spend. Now you can see why New Orleans isn’t actually in cap hell.

Trades & Free Agency

This offseason is about building around QB Tyler Shough. There are needs defensively, but that unit was already pretty solid in year one under Brandon Staley, so I put most of my focus towards bolstering the offensive roster.

That’s why when the Arizona Cardinals offered me WR Michael Wilson for the 73rd pick plus a 2027 sixth-rounder, I jumped at the opportunity. He’s on an expiring contract, so the Saints would have to pay him next offseason, but if he can play half as well as he did at the end of last season, it won’t matter.

In free agency, I wanted to get OG David Edwards to fill the hole at guard left by Ruiz, but his price tag was a bit too expensive, so I gave OG Isaac Seumalo a two-year deal worth $8.5 million per season. He’s not the long-term future at the guard spot, but Ruiz needed to go, and I needed a cheap filler.

After that, I spent most of my cap space defensively, knowing there were a lot of offensive players I liked in the draft. I re-signed CB Alontae Taylor and LB Demario Davis, while adding DT Khyiris Tonga to replace Godchaux. Those three cost me a combined $26.5 million, leaving the Saints with just enough money to sign their rookies.

NFL Draft

This is where I really went all in to surround Shough with weapons.

With the eighth pick, I selected RB Jeremiyah Love. I took a risk not signing a running back in free agency, so when he fell to No. 8, I sprinted to the podium to select him.

The Saints’ offense lacked a consistent run game last season, and I believe head coach Kellen Moore could have some fun with a two-headed monster of Love and Alvin Kamara.

In the second round, I selected OG Emmanuel Pregnon, who I believe is one of the best guards in this draft class. I like Seumalo as a stopgap, but the Saints need to figure out a long-term solution at both guard spots, and Pregnon could be their answer on the left side.

After shelling out their third rounder for Wilson, the Saints’ next two picks came in the fourth round at No. 132 and No. 136. After going heavy offense early, I went back to defense and selected LB Harold Perkins and S Jalon Kilgore.

Perkins is a super athletic linebacker who can line up anywhere. I know his college production dropped off after his freshman year, but I believe Staley could find a place for him in this defense.

With the Saints shelling out a good chunk of change for Alontae Taylor, they’re going to want him to play in both the slot and outside, which is why bringing in someone like Kilgore, who can also play in the slot, made a lot of sense. Especially if their long-term vision for Taylor is on the boundary.

With the final three picks, I drafted WR CJ Daniels, DE Logan Fano and QB Taylen Green. Daniels was a major factor in Miami’s national championship push and scored seven touchdowns in 10 regular-season games. Fano is a high-upside pass rusher, who probably won’t make it this far in the draft, but you never know.

Then, I took a bit of a flyer on Taylen Green. He’s a solid passer, but I think he could take over the Taysom Hill-type role for the Saints. He’s a freak athlete who could be a fun toy for Kellen Moore.

Starting Lineup

After a full offseason of work, here’s what the Saints’ starting lineup would look like in 2026:

Offense

QB: Tyler Shough

WR: Chris Olave, Michael Wilson, Devaughn Vele

RB: Jeremiyah Love, Alvin Kamara

TE: Juwan Johnson

OL: Kelvin Banks, Isaac Seumalo, Eric McCoy, Emmanuel Pregnon, Taliese Fuaga

I love this offense. Shough has proven he can win games with next to no help offensively, so I want to see what he can do with a full supporting cast.

Chris Olave is a great route runner, so to complement him with two big-body receivers in Vele and Wilson gives Shough a variety of different weapons. Plus, Juwan Johnson took big strides next year, and even though he can be inconsistent, he’s basically another big receiver. I would’ve loved to add a smaller, slot guy, but it wasn’t in the cards.

At running back, Jeremiyah Love will immediately take over as the lead back. He’ll get the bulk of the carries, but to also have Alvin Kamara, who can come out the backfield as a receiver, makes this two-headed monster even more dangerous. Just imagine lining both of them up in the backfield on the same play. What do you do to defend that?

The offensive line still isn’t perfect, but it’s much better than last year. The Saints have both tackle spots figured out, and if McCoy can stay healthy, he’s an All-Pro-level talent. The guard spots are more questionable, but Ruiz needed to go, and the left guard spot was a bit of a revolving door last season. Getting two players who can provide some consistency at those spots for the next 2+ years will be a major help.

Defense

DL: Bryan Breese, Carl Granderson, Khyiris Tonga

LB: Pete Warner, Demario Davis, Chase Young, Danny Stutsman

CB: Alontae Taylor, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Quincy Riley

S: Jonas Sanker, Justin Reid

Brandon Staley plays a 3-4 defense where there are three down linemen, so Chase Young can technically be classified as a linebacker, even though he almost exclusively rushes the passer. I would still like to get stronger in the interior, but you can’t be too picky.

I really like the off-ball linebacking core, too. Davis is a veteran who is going to rack up 100+ tackles every season. Warner hasn’t panned out as expected, but he’s not a total liability. And Stutsman is a rising star in my eyes. I think he could learn a lot from Davis this year and become a full-time player.

Alontae Taylor is such a versatile weapon. He didn’t have the best year in 2024, but he really found a nice role in Brandon Staley’s system, so keeping him around will be paramount. I also like the two youngsters in McKinstry and Riley, who should both make pretty big strides this offseason.

Then, on the backend, Justin Reid is a savvy veteran who can lead this young group of safeties. But the real star of the defensive backfield is Jonas Sanker, who had an incredible rookie season and is going to be one of the focal points of this defense for years to come.

In a weak NFC South, this team would be good enough to make the playoffs. I’m not sure they could win a game once they’re there, but an offseason similar to this would be a great start.