Saints could get to $14.61 million under the cap without restructuring Derek Carr, after Saints salary cap potentially increases by $5M

greatshow25 said
The te market is horrible this year Johnson looks like the top te this year. If you try to get a de/edge they will over pay unless they go bargain shopping. Bargain shopping has been what they have done the last few years to get back closer to the cap. I wasn’t saying a one year deal I was saying in the first year of the deal. I think with Carr his first year he counted like 1.5 million his first year. They normally do something with signing bonus and incentives in the first year so they can fit contracts. Plus this year is deep at WR, DE/edge, CB, RB and TE. They have 8 picks they need cheap rookie contracts not free agents.

Car was 7 mil in his first year. The lowest you can go in year 1 in about 1.3 if there are no signing bonuses. Basically, that would never happen for anything but vet minimum. For example last year they signed Chase Young to a 13mil deal and had to pay 4 mil the first year. To do that they had to push 9mil to this year.

Again relying on the draft to fill all those holes is not a good move. If you want to draft well at least give yourself an option in FA so you don't have to reach.