Saints make the most of a bad situation with injured All-Pro to clear tons of cap space

The 2023 season wasn't kind to the New Orleans Saints. Among plenty of negatives, one that stuck out was an injury to Ryan Ramczyk that reportedly had him questioning his future in the league.

Ramczyk played in just 12 games in 2023, but played through at least two games with an ongoing knee injury. While the knee problem at first was assumed to be bumps and bruises, the soreness lingered and was later discovered to be a cartilage defect.

The All-Pro right tackle was clear in-season that he wanted to keep playing but admitted retirement crossed his mind with his body aging. Ramczyk is 29.

Saints rework Ryan Ramczyk's deal

Field Yates reported on Wednesday that the Saints and Ryan Ramczyk agreed to a reworked version of his contract.

"The Saints and RT Ryan Ramczyk agreed to a reworked contract that guarantees him $6.5M in 2024 (he previously had no remaining guarantees), with significant upside available as well.

Ramczyk’s cap number was $27.025M prior to this, but this deal will create cap savings for New Orleans."

New deal is a veteran minimum for Saints, saves on cap, gives him upside

It's unclear just yet exactly how much cap space the Saints saved, but presuming it brings his cap number down from $27.05 million closer to the $6.5 million guarantee as reports suggested, it projects to be massive savings.

It's actually structured though as a veteran minimum salary in 2024 according to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football. The remainder of the $6.5 million is logged as a signing bonus, which the Saints should be able to spread over the life of the contract (this year and next year).

That in mind, if my quick math is correct, it should bring Ramczyk's cap hit to about $4.17 million, savings of $22.8 million, give or take, but other details could emerge to adjust that number slightly.

UPDATE, 9:39 CT: Nick Underhill reports that the cap savings actually amount to $14 million.

Nick Underhill reported that Ramczyk can, "earn a lot back," as a part of a 2025 escalator. While it puts the onus on Ramczyk to perform and, perhaps more delicate, on his body to remain healthy, it gives Ramczyk a chance to earn his contract despite injury concerns. It keeps him playing rather than getting cut and looking for a new home, and for the Saints, saves on cap and keeps an All-Pro talent in house.

New contract is good, but doesn't solve aging issues of Saints roster

The contract is good in the context of 2024 for the Saints and Ramczyk. But it's a greater representation of a truth that the Saints don't seem entirely willing to explicitly acknowledge: The team is old.

Adjusted and weighted for snap counts, the Saints were the oldest team in the NFL.

Specifically, on the line, from left to right Andrus Peat is 30. James Hurst is 32. Erik McCoy is 26. Cesar Ruiz is 24, and Ramczyk is 29. The Saints need to get younger at some point on the entire left side and at right tackle. Trevor Penning has not progressed as expected.

But beyond the offensive line, the defense is aging as well. The Saints are used to kicking salaries down the road, but how long can they avoid getting youthful?