By Mike Triplett | ESPN Staff Writer
METAIRIE, La. -- The New Orleans Saints' window to reach another Super Bowl is still open just wide enough that they might even enter the 2019 season as favorites to win the NFC.
Drew Brees is still playing well enough at age 40 to lead a championship team, despite the way his production dipped toward the end of the season. The Saints are still loaded with a collection of young, cheap stars such as Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramczyk, Sheldon Rankins and others on their rookie contracts. And their list of unrestricted free agents is a manageable one, with about $10 million to $12 million in projected salary-cap space to start with.
But none of those things will stay true much longer.
Soon, Brees will start acting his age. Soon, the Saints will have trouble paying all of those players listed above (Thomas is heading into the final year of his deal and might flirt with $20 million per season in his next one). And the future roster will be even harder to replenish, considering the Saints don't have any draft picks in the first, third or fourth rounds this year. ...
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