It's going to be a very interesting decision.
The New Orleans Saints have a great amount of work to do this offseason, but something in the future should be in the back of any decision-maker's mind. Just like most years, the Saints are faced with a 5th-year option decision to make. Last year, the Saints had to make this decision twice with Trevor Penning and Chris Olave, and ended up just using the option on Olave. Those were very easy decisions for New Orleans, but this offseason is a bit different.
DT Bryan Bresee, who was the 29th overall pick in 2023, and there is still no consistent view on whether that selection was a mistake or not. The Saints have had defensive tackle issues since that point, and Bresee has arguably been the best on the roster, but those issues persist. Coming into the NFL, it was known that Bresee had two major issues: Injuries and run defense. Regarding the injuries, Bresee has actually been pretty healthy, which has been a nice change of pace for a Saints team that tends to deal with many injuries. The run defense, on the other hand, has been the #1 issue with Bresee, and it has hurt the Saints.
Since Bresee was added to the roster, the Saints have struggled with run defense. That isn't all his fault, but he has done little to help. Finally, this past season, Bresee showed improvement in run defense. If the run defense keeps improving, Bresee could be a really good DT in the NFL, and that would be because of how good a pass rusher he is.
While many of the Saints' defensive linemen have struggled with pass rush, Bresee has actually been really good at getting pressures on QBs and finishing the play. In 2024, he had 7.5 sacks, and although it dropped to 2.5 this past season, that could have been because of a role change in Brandon Staley's scheme. Bresee has all the potential in the world to have a breakout year in 2026, but should the Saints assume that is going to happen and trigger his 5th year option? No.
With the run defense still not great and the potential cost of the 5th-year option ($13M), it does not make much sense for the Saints to say yes to the option. It's a risk because it would be betting on the Saints' luck for Bresee to have a career year and be too good to let walk, but from what evidence they already have, there isn't enough to believe that can happen.