By Ross Jackson
It seems that the New Orleans Saints always find a way to get a big extension done either during training or early in the regular season.
Last year, deals with linebacker Pete Werner and running back Alvin Kamara were finished up during training camp and in October, respectively. In past years, players like defensive end Carl Granderson, linebacker Demario Davis, and former cornerback Marshon Lattimore saw early-season deals penned.
This year, there are a few players to watch who are eligible for such extensions as they enter 2025.
WR Chris Olave
The Saints picked up his fifth-year option for 2026, so there’s really no rush here. It may be in the team’s best interest to wait and see how Olave performs after his 2025 was cut short in concerning fashion due to concussions.
But if Olave has a stellar 2025, that will only raise his price tag. In which case, the fifth-year option becomes helpful. At least for a year. New Orleans could look to get ahead of the situation by extending its top wide receiver before or soon after the start of 2025.
WR Rashid Shaheed
This is a very similar case to Olave, but without the fifth-year option. The Saints had the advantage in the past with Shaheed being an exclusive rights free agent. That, as an undrafted free agent, allowed the Saints to re-sign the speedy wideout to a two-year extension ahead of 2024 on an affordable price tag and without allowing him to speak with other teams.
After this year, Shaheed will be an unrestricted free agent. Meaning he would have a chance to speak with and receive offers from other clubs once the 2026 league year begins.
The Saints could get ahead of it and extend Shaheed before the season in order to keep an affordable price tag on a high-valued playmaker.
CB Alontae Taylor
Set to potentially be the defensive MVP in 2025, Taylor is a prime candidate for an early deal. He is entering a contract year and has had to move around so much in the Saints previous defenses. Now, he should have a solid role, and an important one at that, in defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’s system.
Re-signing him this offseason would be a logical move for both sides. It would lock in a valuable contributor for New Orleans and guarantee a commitment from the team to Taylor. This feels like a high probability providing both sides see the value of getting it done sooner than later.
OL Trevor Penning
This would be a move that could possibly benefit the Saints much more than Penning. The former tackle is moving to guard, which comes with a very different monetary investment.
Had Penning panned out as a starting tackle immediately, he would be in line for quite the contract right now. But the Saints passed on his fifth-year option and have now moved him to the interior. This will allow the team to negotiate going forward with Penning’s representatives as either a guard or swing offensive lineman rather than a starting tackle.
The key would be getting the extension done soon if the team feels confident he could hold down the guard role successfully. That way Penning doesn’t first garner interest from other teams that may look to move him back to tackle when he becomes an unrestricted free agent next season.
