Loomis and Payton committed to remaining competitive:

[whodatworm23]

Loomis and Payton committed to remaining competitive:

 

So... Recent commets by both Saints GM Mickey Loomis & HC Sean Payton clearly indicate that the duo fully expect to do whatever they have to in order to keep this roster together to the best of their ability moving forward as they both view this roster, even without Drew Brees as being a contender.

 

Is this the right approach?

 

Personnally I believe it is... The Saints were 8-1 over the last 2 years with Brees out of the lineup so clearly this roster has been built to compete at the highest level and should be at minimum a playoff team in 2021 as long as they find some sort of stability at the QB position.

 

This approach also puts to bed any talk of potentially trading away someone such as Mike Thomas. If your expecting to field a contender next year the last thing you do is trade away arguably your best player before that season even begins. It also means that veteran players such as Terron Armstead, Cam Jordan, Emanual Sanders & Janoris Jenkins will see thier contracts restructured and extended in order to create cap space. The same can be said for young core players such as Marshon Lattimore & Ryan Ramczyk.

 

Also... Recent reports now indicate that the 2021 salary cap might not drop as much as previously expected. Most figured due to Covid-19 the cap would drop from 198 million in 2020 to as low as 175 million in 2021. Now reports state its most likely that NFL owners will agree to borrow from future caps which would allow them to carry the same cap number in 2021 as they did last season and even have it as high as 205 million for 2021.

 

No team in the NFL would benifit from this more than the Saints who are currently a league leading 95 million over the projected cap as of now.

 

In free agency this team will not be major players but I do however feel they will do what they have to to retain thier own free agents that they covet, of them thier are 4 that I feel Loomis and company will get back in the Black and Gold with a lil Mickey Magic...

 

1. Marcus Williams

 

From everything I can gather, Williams is the Saints #1 piorioty in FA this offseason. The Saints love the player hes become and his skill set matches perfectly what Dennis Allen wants to do defensivly. Look for the Saints to reward Williams with a new contract keeping him in New Orleans for the forseable future.

 

2. Trey Hendrickson

 

A week ago I felt thier simply was no way the Saints could get Hendricskon under contract with thier cap issues (as well as Marcus Williams) with the combined news of the cap likley remaining around 200 million and the comments of the front office about remaining competitive puts Henndrickson back in play for the Saints.

 

If you truly want to remain a contender then you simply cannot lose your best pass rusher. It will still be a challange but Mickey Loomis is a genius with the cap and I believe with the new numbers he'll be able to work out a way to get Hendrickson signed long-term. That might mean sacrificing a player or two via trade or release but Hendrickson has established himself as a impact defender this past season and part of the Saints future.

 

3. Jameis Winston

 

I think the Saints and Payton want Winston back... But their not gonna break the bank to keep him. Payton still is extremly high on Taysom Hill and he'll be the odds on favorite to be the 2021 starting QB for the Saints but Payton wants Winston back in the fold to compete for the job with Hill and at the very least provide the team with a quality back-up next season in thier first in 15 years without Brees on the roster. There might be a team or two that will inquire on Winston in free agency and offer him a better deal and the oppertunity to compete for thier starting job but in the end I think Winston resigns with the Saints on a 1 year team friendly deal and trys to unset Hill as the Saints starter.

 

4. James Hurst

 

Some may not know much about Hurst but he has become a valued member of the Saints offensive line. Hurst played well when called upon this season and provides the Saints with a quality veteran swing tackle and versatile interior depth.

 

Getting these 4 players under contract will not be an easy task but it will be imperative if Loomis and Payton truly want to remain a contender in 2021. Now even with the cap staying around 200 million, the Saints will still have to say goodby to a slew of players in order to get under the cap, keep thier free agents and still have enough room to sign draft picks. Some decisions will be tough and some will be much easier.

 

Players such as Thomas Moorstead, Latavious Murray, Kown Alexander, Nick Easton, Sheldon Rankins, Malcom Brown, Patrick Robinson, PJ Williams could all find themselves casualties of the salary cap as the team looks to become NFL compliant.

 

Even players such as former 1st round picks Marcus Davenport & Andrus Peat could find themselves on the trading block as the team could look to shed their salaries while aquiring a few additional draft selections.

 

Closing...

 

Today the Saints front office gave thier fans thier intentions. This will not be a rebuild, they will not do a hard reset of this roster. They will keep plugging away and fully expect to compete for a championship in 2021. Neither Loomis or Payton are looking to take a step back but instead surge ahead. You gotta respect and admire their confidence and it's exciting that their willing to set the bar that high after losing thier franchise QB but as a Saints fan you couldn't ask for anything more.

 

WHODAT