Chiefs LB Willie Gay finds new home in NFC South: Contract details and grade

The Kansas City Chiefs accomplished one of their goals this offseason, and that was to retain star defensive tackle Chris Jones. After signing Jones to a five-year, $158.75 million contract, that means there is only so much more money to go around to retain some of their players, especially on defense. Considering the defense helped overcome the struggles of the offense, losing anyone could be huge.

As it turns out, the Chiefs are set to lose one of their top linebackers.

According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay is signing a one-year contract worth up to $5 million with the New Orleans Saints. Gay's base salary is set at $3 million for the 2024 season.

Willie Gay contract details, grade: Saints sign former Chiefs starting LB

This is the Saints' first signing since the free agency negotiating window opened on Monday at noon ET. New Orleans spent the majority of their offseason trying to work their way under the salary cap threshold. They did so by restructuring the contracts of quarterback Derek Carr, safety Tyrann Mathieu, and defensive end Cameron Jordan. Now, they bring in a starting linebacker who won the Super Bowl twice in his four years in the league.

Since joining the Chiefs as a second-round pick in 2021 out of Mississippi State, Gay was immediately thrust into the starter's position. After all, that was an area of weakness for the team. One year later, the Chiefs brought in Nick Bolton, which in turn bolstered the linebackers corps.

This past season, Gay recorded 48 tackles, 26 defensive stops, 14 quarterback pressures, 11 quarterback hurries, two quarterback hits, and one quarterback hurry, per Pro Football Focus. In coverage, Gay allowed 36 receptions for 317 yards and two touchdowns on 45 targets.

With the Saints losing Zack Baun in free agency to the Philadelphia Eagles, they effectively replace him with a proven winner in Gay. Pairing him alongside DeMario Davis should give the Saints a boost, especially with the improvements being made on every team in the NFC South division.

Oh, and the fact that they got the linebacker on a relatively cheap deal is also a plus for the Saints.

Saints contract grade: B