The New Orleans Saints have some decisions to make this offseason, with a litany of free agents hitting the market (both their own and others), they will have to use their money sparingly to try and accrue new talent. Deciding who stays and who goes is a difficult process, as players like Trey Hendrickson get away sometimes due to cap space.
One of the players set to become a free agent this offseason is defensive end Payton Turner, who had his fifth-year option declined by the Saints last offseason. The 2021 first round pick has unfortunately not lived up to his potential, and that makes the decision regarding his contract easier than some others.
With that said, here is his career summary so far:
Career Stats
Payton Turner has had an exceptionally slow start to his career to date, as in four seasons he has only played in 31 games, starting none, and accrued 50 total tackles (30 solo, 20 assisted), 39 pressures, 11 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 4 pass deflections, 2 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. These stats are something you would expect in one season from a first round pick, not over their entire rookie contract.
Statistically he has struggled and that heavily coincides with his lack of time played and injuries accrued. Even when he does play, he seems a step or two slow due to the accrued injuries over four seasons.
Snap Counts
Here are the snap counts for the games Turner played in his four seasons:
- 2021 – 41% (143)
- 2022 – 32% (171)
- 2023 – 20% (25)
- 2024 – 31% (335)
2024 season review
2024 was not much of a revelation for Turner, as despite being able to play in 16 games, he was unable to accrue any meaningful statistics over the course of the year. His 4 pass deflections were one of the very few stats he showed up for, as his height allowed him to make plays on passes off the edge rather often. Other than that though, it was not particularly a good season, and in what is a contract year, it was likely not enough to earn another with the Saints.
Stay or go?
As is clear by the analysis of his stats, health, or eye test, Turner just has not shown enough to prove he is worth another contract. As much as he looked like a solid player coming out of his draft class, he ultimately has struggled immensely with injuries which is truly unfortunate, as you hate to see any injuries to younger up and coming players.
As much as I would like to validate a one year deal, the defensive end room needs a bit of an overhaul, and new talent needs to find its way into that group. Turner would also likely benefit from new scenery and new coaching, so it is in the best interest of both teams to go there separate ways and find what they need.
