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

It's been an up-and-down season for the New Orleans Saints. The team has suffered a number of injuries to big-time starters and now sit on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs. The offseason is quickly approaching and this front office will have some crucial decisions to make.

It's clear that this roster is going to have to go through some changes in order to keep up in a tough NFC South division. With that being said, here are three players who won't be on the Saints roster next season.

1. Marcus Williams, S

This one simply comes down to the expected market value safety Marcus Williams is going to see when he enters free agency in the offseason. Spotrac projects it to be around $13.5 million, which would be a hefty price given the Saints are already going to be strapped for cash. Williams has been one of the most reliable players on New Orleans' defense over the last five seasons and is on pace to set a new career-high in tackles this year. A number of NFL teams could use secondary help and one of them is going to commit a lot of money to sign the 25-year-old safety. Just don't be surprised if it isn't the Saints.

2. Tre'Quan Smith, WR

Wide receiver Tre'Quan Smith came into this season with an opportunity to step up as the team's No. 1 pass-catcher with Michael Thomas on the sidelines due to an injury. The speedster has not been able to stay healthy, though. Smith has missed five games so far and is averaging a career-low 11.4 yards per reception. It's hard to see the Saints re-signing him when they can likely draft a WR and get the same level of production. Thomas is expected to be healthy in 2022 and Marquez Callaway has showed some potential as a No. 2 WR this year. That may be enough for New Orleans to stay away from Smith during his free agency.

3. Cameron Jordan, DL

This is not going to be a very popular move amongst Saints fans, but it's important to take into consideration how much defensive lineman Cameron Jordan is being payed. The 11th-year pro is costing the team $14.5 million against the cap next season. That is a ton of money considering Jordan is not playing at the level he has before. In fact, he has posted just 11.5 sacks since the start of the 2020 season. Trading Jordan could free up cap space that the Saints could use to sign free agents or extend younger players on the roster. After all, there would definitely be a market for the six-time Pro Bowler.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. 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.