It’s been a busy week on Airline Drive for the New Orleans Saints. They now have their starting quarterback in 9-year veteran Derek Carr. Then, following his introductory press conference, the team retained one of their must-keep outgoing free agents, tight end Juwan Johnson. During Carr’s presser, head coach Dennis Allen outlined the plan for the remainder of the offseason. A plan that should not surprise anyone that knows how the Saints operate.
“I think first and foremost, we’re trying to see what we can do within our own building,” Allen said. “In terms of trying to get some of our guys, that would be option A. We’ll see what’s out there in terms of the market. I don’t see us going out in the first day or two of free agency and having some big splash acquisition. I think we’ll do what we’ve always done here.”
While the Saints may not be looking to reel in another big fish, aside from Carr at least, there are still some important things to get done. Here are four moves New Orleans should get done after landing Carr and re-signing key free agents like Johnson and safety J.T. Gray.
Extend WR Michael Thomas
Now that the Saints have their quarterback, the Saints are in a unique position. Instead of having to go out and find Carr’s top wideout, it’s simply a matter of keeping him in the building. Okay, it’s not that simple. But with Carr, who Thomas is clearly excited about and actively helped to court, New Orleans has what it needs to make a decisive effort to keep Thomas in the black and gold. Here’s an example of how they could get it done.
Extend DT David Onyemata
New Orleans has made impressive progress on maintaining top talent with new deals reached with Johnson and Gray. Now, they need to find the same success with Onyemata. The Saints have no defensive tackles under contract for the 2023 season at this time and the former 2016 draft selection’s deal is set to expire on March 15, the first official day of NFL free agency. But the Saints should go to extensive lengths to make sure they don’t get to that point. Especially with former co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen now leading the defensive charge for the Atlanta Falcons.
Figure out QB Jameis Winston's future
The Saints reportedly offered Winston a re-worked deal to stay in New Orleans while providing the team with some salary cap relief. Winston has until Wednesday to accept the deal, but getting a head start on the free agency negotiating period would wise. One way or another, whether he stays or not, the Saints should push for clarity on Winston’s future sooner rather than later.
Convince OL Andrus Peat to take a pay cut
We considered putting “add to the running back room” here, but first New Orleans will need to get under the salary cap. While a post-June 1 cut to Peat would save the team over $11.8 million, they would not be able to enjoy that relief until June 2. Otherwise, restructuring his contract would add more guaranteed money to his contract in the future. Because neither are a perfect option, the Saints could get creative and work on convincing Peat to take a pay cut. This strategy would keep him on the roster, not add future guarantees, and save the team money immediately.
