Not every contract is a home run in the NFL.
Free agency is a tricky beast. Roster construction isn't black-and-white, and putting a team together from draft classes, roster cornerstones, and free-agent signings isn't paint-by-numbers. Throw in the salary cap, and tough decisions are forced on front offices every offseason. The New Orleans Saints are no different and face the same issues this offseason as they build around their new starting quarterback.
Last season, the Saints were seen as a rebuilding team with not much of a chance to compete in the NFC. While that was fair, and it did end up being true, the Saints did knock one of their signings out of the park, while a reunion with an old familiar face fell completely flat.
Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus named each team's best and worst signings of 2025.
Best: EDGE Chase Young
The Saints made a rarely large move when they retained Young on a three-year, $51 million contract to prevent him from leaving. In turn, Young absolutely dominated when on the field with an 86.3 PFF pass-rush grade and a 15.2% pass-rush win rate. The former No. 2 overall pick appears to have settled into form with the Saints.
Worst: WR Brandin Cooks
The former Saint came back to New Orleans on a two-year deal worth $13 million, but he totaled a 54.9 PFF receiving grade with a measly 0.58 yards per route run over the first 10 games. Subsequently, the team waived him, and he spent the rest of the year with the Bills. Having to cut ties with a player in whom you invested that type of contract definitely isn’t what teams desire.
Young finished with 12 sacks, which was tenth best for all EDGE players. Considering his pass-rushing snaps were ranked 68th in the NFL at 285, that is insane efficiency from the former Ohio State Buckeye. Young is certainly a cornerstone for the roster and the defensive line.
Cooks' return was a very nice story. However, the former Saints great found it hard to acclimate to the offense while Spencer Rattler was the starter. To be fair, the offense as a whole was out of sorts, which spurred the change to Tyler Shough. The Saints did Cooks a favor by allowing him to seek out a playoff team to chase a Lombardi, perhaps for the final time.
It will be interesting to see the Saints' spending philosophy this offseason. They are ready to compete in the NFC South this season.