The Saints can’t afford to not pay Nick Fairley

What we don't know about is how the chemistry works. This seems similar to the Cooks/Thomas/Snead situation on the offensive side. Do we really want to break that up?
Similarly, the Saints' defensive woes were not due to the lack of interior pressure, but rather to slow linebackers, the lack of an adequate DE opposite Jordan, an unbelievable number of injuries in the secondary, and the pathetically low number of takeaways. None of those problems centers on the interior DL, so why create a problem where none exists to any extent?
I don't know if the Saints can afford not to retain Fairley, but letting him go seems like a poor alternative to retaining him--unless a ridiculous bidding war results.