By Ross Jackson
On Thursday evening, New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk announced his retirement from the NFL after his seven years of playing time in the league. The offensive lineman was one of two remaining members of the team’s renowned 2017 draft class and will go down as one of the team’s top offensive tackles in its franchise’s history.
The Saints were without Ramczyk last season, making more than due with rookie Taliese Fuaga at left tackle and sliding 2022 first-rounder Trevor Penning over to Ramczyk’s right tackle spot. By all indications, the Saints are prepared to keep that structure going barring a big name tackle being taken in next week’s NFL draft.
While the Saints may have their lineup figured out beyond Ramczyk, the financials will be a bit of a process. Here’s what to expect with Ramczyk’s contract as he announces his retirement.
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While the tackle announced the closing of his career in April, the Saints are likely to wait to file any paperwork to make the move official until after June 1. New Orleans has done this before with retirements, most notably former quarterback Drew Brees.
If New Orleans were to process the move immediately, the team would then take on roughly $10 million in new salary cap charges, amounting to just over $23 million in dead cap space in 2024.
By waiting until June 2 or later, the team will be able to save his modest base salary ($1.255 million) and defer about $10.7 million into next year’s salary cap. This measure would keep the Saints’ existing surplus of more than $27 million intact, offering them flexibility beyond paying out their draft class.
The Saints will have a lot of dead cap space to manage in 2026. Especially if quarterback Derek Carr does, indeed, end up off of the roster after June 1 of this year. But with an ever-rising league salary cap and the chance to roll over available funds from 2025 into 2026, the Saints may not have too challenging a time navigating their situation for the year.
