Alex Okafor had a very good first season with the New Orleans Saints after joining the team as a free agent last offseason, and now the veteran defensive end faces the free agency period hoping he can repeat that success with the same team again in 2018. Okafor signed a one-year deal with the Saints last March hoping to fill a role as one-half of a pass rushing duo with Cameron Jordan, and in his first 10 games with the team racked up 43 tackles, broke up four passes, forced two fumbles, added five tackles for a loss, and recorded 4.5 sacks.
Then, in his 10th game, Okafor tore his Achilles tendon, ending that run of success.
“I want to be back here,” he said after the injury of his future plans for next season. “I was having a great year before I got hurt, and I just want to continue that.”
How much Okafor’s agent believes he’s worth may influence whether or not he can continue that, and with the offseason officially underway, we can take a look at what the 26-year-old could command on the open market.
According to Spotrac, Okafor is worth an annual salary of $9.4 million, payable as part of a four-year contract worth $37.791 million, an amount that would make him the sixth-highest paid defensive end in football, behind Houston’s J.J. Watt.