The New Orleans Saints free agency decisions are coming up, which means bringing new players and letting go of some others. Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger recently released a list of potential cut candidates as teams consider how to save some money. For the Saints, Spielberger listed veteran safety Marcus Maye. If cut after June 1, he would carry around $2.4 million in dead money and bring $7.2 million in cap savings.
Here is what PFF had to say about Maye and why they believe he could be a cap casualty:
The Saints will have to restructure virtually every big contract on their roster, as is tradition, but Maye offers legitimate savings as a post-June 1 release. Fifth-round rookie Jordan Howden flashed some promise down the stretch after Maye was lost for the season with a shoulder injury.
Maye makes a lot of sense as a potential cut for the New Orleans Saints, with Spielberger making good points in his blurb. The emergence of Howden, a 2023 draft pick, makes this decision a lot easier. The rookie provided a comparable level of play as Maye did before his injury, for much cheaper.
Giving Howden more room to grow in that bigger role and saving money on a player that has been in and out of the lineup almost seems like a no-brainer move, but Maye’s experience on the back end might be enough to save his job. At the same time he’s missed a full 17-game season’s worth of games to injuries and a suspension since signing with New Orleans, so the team must make a decision soon.
