The New Orleans Saints have a wide variety of free agents hitting the market in 2025, and one of the most notable ones when it comes to projected value is cornerback Paulson Adebo. As his rookie-scale contract ends, he will now have the chance to work towards a long-term full-size contract, and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN has contacts around the league who believe he may be one of the best available:
“Multiple teams consider Adebo a top-three corner in the free agency class based on ability and upside. Adebo had no complications from his surgery, which included a rod being placed in the broken bone — where there was a clean fracture — to stabilize it“
When it comes to being top-three at your position in a free agency class, that comes with expectations on a contract value as well. ESPN ranked Adebo No. 44 on their free agency list of the top 50 players, and No. 8 among cornerbacks, however clearly some teams view him more highly according to the quote from Fowler.
Cornerbacks in the 2024 offseason did not see any megadeals, but there were a few notable ones. The top three contracts by cornerbacks in the 2024 offseason were Chidobe Awuzie ($12 million per year), Kenny Moore ($10 million per year) and Sean Murphy-Bunting ($8.5 million per year).
When you look at four of the projected top earning cornerbacks in 2025, Spotrac has these average values for those players based on projections:
- Byron Murphy: $22.1 million/year
- Charvarius Ward: $15.3 million/year
- D.J. Reed: $14.7 million/year
- Carlton Davis: $13.8 million/year
Then when it comes to Paulson Adebo, they have him marked at a projected $11.1 million per year value. This is a pretty substantial payday coming off a major injury and having penalty woes for a few seasons, but his ball-hawking skills and coverage in many cases make up for it. Adebo has logged 43 passes defensed since he entered the league in 2021, tied with Murphy and Davis for 10th-most among corners. That matters to teams, and it’s sounding like Adebo is going to get paid because of it.
