Saints Restructure Contracts of Key Players

Moves free up $24 million in cap space ahead of 2026 season

Published on Mar. 5, 2026

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The New Orleans Saints have restructured the contracts of three veteran players - tight end Juwan Johnson, defensive end Chase Young, and safety Justin Reid - in order to free up around $24 million in salary cap space ahead of the 2026 NFL season.

Why it matters

Restructuring veteran contracts is a common tactic teams use to create short-term salary cap flexibility, allowing them to be more active in free agency and better position themselves for the upcoming season. This move indicates the Saints are looking to be aggressive in the offseason as they aim to build on their recent success.

The details

According to reports, the Saints converted portions of the players' base salaries into signing bonuses, which will spread the cap hits over future years. Specifically, Juwan Johnson had a $9.08 million base salary, Chase Young was set to make $14.83 million, and Justin Reid was on the books for $9.25 million. By restructuring these deals, the Saints should be cap compliant heading into the new league year.

  • The contract restructures occurred on March 5, 2026, ahead of the start of the 2026 NFL league year.

The players

Juwan Johnson

A tight end for the New Orleans Saints.

Chase Young

A defensive end for the New Orleans Saints.

Justin Reid

A safety for the New Orleans Saints.

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What’s next

The Saints will now have additional cap space to be active in free agency and potentially make other roster moves as they prepare for the 2026 NFL season.

The takeaway

Restructuring veteran contracts is a common tactic used by NFL teams to create short-term salary cap flexibility. This move by the Saints indicates they are looking to be aggressive this offseason as they aim to build on their recent success and compete for a championship.