What’d we tell you? Contrary to some bad reporting suggesting the New Orleans Saints were going to have to trade Demario Davis, ESPN’s Adam Schefter says that the Saints reworked their deal with the All-Pro linebacker to insure he’ll retire in black and gold.
It’s an extension very similar to what Tyrann Mathieu received from the Saints last week. Schefter reports that Davis’ new deal is a two-year, $17.25 million contract with $13.25 million in guarantees. The NFL’s oldest starting linebacker (he turned 35 in January) is on the same timeline as Mathieu and defensive end Cameron Jordan, who are all now signed for 2024 and 2025, with the possibility of retirement in 2026.
Davis was set to count against the salary cap by $18,193,000 in 2024, which was the final year of his contract. Instead, that number should fall to about $9.5 million, but stay tuned for details to clarify exactly where his cap hit lands. The Saints were in the red by just $10.7 million prior to reworking his deal so they should be knocking on the door of salary cap compliance after this.
