The New Orleans Saints made a big bet that their offensive line will be just fine without Andrus Peat, and we’re about to see whether it pays off. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Las Vegas Raiders are signing Peat as a free agent after the 2024 draft. The Saints drafted Peat back in 2015, out of Stanford, and he went on to earn three Pro Bowl nods as an alternate.
Peat arguably saved the Saints’ season by replacing Trevor Penning at left tackle after six disastrous starts in 2023, which was a bit of a surprise. He hadn’t played that position since the 2018 regular season finale, with more than twice as many career snaps played at left guard (4,35) than left tackle (1,948). We can dissect his performance but the offense was at least functional once he took over on Derek Carr’s blind side. Now the Saints are back where they started with Peat slotted in at left tackle and no clear starter available at left guard after James Hurst retired. Peat’s presence would have improved either position’s outlook.
It’s curious that the Saints’ leadership team was so ambivalent about re-signing Peat all offseason. They let him test the market in free agency back in March, accruing $13.6 million in dead money that could have been spread out with a new contract. But neither Mickey Loomis nor Dennis Allen expressed much interest in re-signing Peat when asked about it. Maybe his injury history outweighed his recent efforts. Either way, he’ll be playing against his former team when the Raiders visit the Caesars Superdome in the fall.
