3 Players Who Won't Be on the Saints Roster Next Season

The New Orleans Saints look to be in salary cap hell for 2021. That's a phrase you've likely heard a lot over the years, but there's no other way to describe the situation the Saints are facing. New Orleans is currently projected to be $70 million over the cap in 2021. That means it can't do basic things like sign free agents or even draft picks until the issue is sorted out.

Obviously, that's going to come at a cost. New Orleans is going to have to restructure and rework a ton of deals this offseason, but it'll also need to start shedding salary at a rapid rate.

With that in mind, here are three Saints that won't be on the roster in 2021.

3. Kwon Alexander, OLB

There's no way Kwon Alexander is back with this team at anything even resembling his current $13 million price tag. He tore his Achilles at the of the year, which is one of the worst injuries an athlete can suffer. It'd be tough to justify keeping him even if he was healthy, but the cap-strapped Saints certainly aren't bringing him back now that they can save $13 million by moving on.

2. Jared Cook, TE

Jared Cook is an impending free agent. If the 33-year-old is looking for a payday, he's not going to get it here. He's been a valuable member of the team for the past two seasons, tallying 1,209 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns, but New Orleans doesn't have the room to bring him back. Plus, the Saints have a ready-made replacement on the roster in promising rookie TE Adam Trautman. It'd be surprising to see Cook back in 2021.

1. Marshon Lattimore, CB

This one would be a shocker. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and the Saints are just that. New Orleans can get out of Lattimore's deal with no dead money, and the three-time Pro Bowler would undoubtedly fetch a huge return on the trade market. Moving him would save about $10.2 million. It's tough to see New Orleans getting out of this situation without making a blockbuster move or two like this. Besides, the Saints are going to have to shell out a massive amount of money to keep him this time next year. Moving Lattimore now is a much better outcome than risking losing him for nothing.

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Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.