There's no easy way out of this

You cannot salary-cap optimize during this transition period in my mind.

You play with the players you want to play with, salary cap be damned. If the players are not talented enough you CUT THEM even if there is a huge cap hit. It's just what you do. Why do you think Sean Payton shipped off Russell Wilson? Not his guy. Huge hit, who cares. I mean Lucas Krull and Lil'Jordan Humphrey are catching calls there for crying out loud. An elite offense did not beat the Saints.

Saints quit on themselves in the Denver game.

Personally I'd rather play with young inexperienced healthy players than an aging MASH unit. Rebuild with the talent you want, don't play out the contracts you have.