The NFL is nearing its offseason once again, and with that, teams will be vying for the top free agents on the market once again. With a somewhat underwhelming 2024 offseason for the New Orleans Saints, they only made a few signings that could have been viewed as true impact players.
One of the more notable signings they made at the time was linebacker Willie Gay Jr. who was set to compete with Pete Werner for the second LB spot. Ultimately this signing became less notable than anticipated, so let’s get into why that was the case:
Free agent contract
Gay Jr’s contract was relatively simple in terms of Saints contract, with a one-year, $3 million deal with $1.8 million set up as base salary and the remaining $1.2 million were a prorated signing bonus. There is no additional void years or cap hits beyond 2024, which is good considering the Saints current cap situation.
Snap counts
Willie Gay Jr. has had a relatively consistent snap count ever since his rookie year in 2020, however in 2024 he struggled to maintain a consistent number of snaps due to Pete Werner retaining the second linebacker spot. Here are his snap rates for each season, only including games he played in:
- 2020: 25% (267)
- 2021: 57% (437)
- 2022: 69% (608)
- 2023: 62% (624)
- 2024: 27% (277)
2024 season review
As you can see from the snap counts, it was an extremely limited year for Gay Jr. as he was pushed down the depth chart by Demario Davis and Pete Werner, which ultimately only left a little bit of playing time left. In his 277 snaps, he had 28 total tackles (19 solo, 9 assisted), 2 tackles for loss, 3 pass deflections, and 2 fumble recoveries with 1 being forced by him.
Ultimately it was a tough year for him, as he really never got going the way he had in previous seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. While he was good to come on for depth, he was not particularly a valuable signing.
Report card grade
Overall, this signing was one that the Saints likely don’t regret given it was on a cheap and short contract with nothing to lose. However, the lack of production and taking up a roster spot that could have been used for someone younger is tough no doubt.
It is one of those signings that many forgot happened throughout the course of the year, and those who didn’t were left wanting more.
