The New Orleans Saints will be placed in a tough predicament come free agency as they currently have the worst cap situation in the NFL.
The Saints are currently in the red when it comes to the salary cap or they have negative cap space. They will need to do some serious overhauling to this roster before any noticeable changes occur. The Saints had the worst defense in the league so a lot of the high priced defenders with big cap hits could see themselves get released. David Hawthorne the Saints outside linebacker is set to cost the Saints $4,510,000 in cap space and he only recorded 23 tackles, 0 sacks, and is 30 years old.
Another player on the chopping block would likely be cornerback Brandon Browner who was the most penalized cornerback in the NFL. He is 31 years old and is due to cost the Saints $6,300,000 in cap space which is just not worth his production in the slightest. Dannell Ellerbe, a player who only started 4 games could be released and that would save the Saints $5,900,000 in cap space.
If the Saints chose to release those players together it would free up $16,710,000 million in cap space. This does not even factor in the offensive players who are costing the Saints an arm and a leg for minimal production. C.J. Spiller was barely on the field this season and he will cost them $4,500,000 in cap space. Veteran Marques Colston is 32 years old and still is a solid number 3-4 wide receiver but with a $5,900,000 cap hit he could be expendable.
Releasing just those two players would free up a grand total of $27,110,000 but that's not even the tip of the iceberg. Jarius Byrd who is currently 29 years old will cost the Saints $10,900,000 this season and he should be released flat out as drafting or picking as safety in free agency would be a lot more productive. Byrd in two season with the Saints only has 5 pass defenses, 1 interception and 2 forced fumbles.
That is hardly the production you want out of one of your bigger free agent pickups. Releasing him on top of the others would free up $38,010,000 in cap space and allow the Saints to reload throughout free agency and the NFL draft.