The Saints had already shipped on of their 2019 draft picks out of town, but they made sure the other remaining member of that class isn't leaving any time soon.
The Saints locked up center Erik McCoy, the No. 48 overall pick in that draft, to lucrative contract extension on Thursday. The deal will be for 5 years and worth up to $63.75 million, according to a report from the NFL Network's Mike Garofolo. The deal includes $40 million guaranteed.
It's a major extension that makes a lot of sense for the team that has relied heavily on McCoy throughout his first three seasons in the NFL. CJ Gardner-Johnson, a 4th round pick from the same draft class, was seeking a big-money extension of his own, but instead was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles last week.
The new deal doesn't quite put McCoy atop the center salary rankings, a spot held by Frank Ragnow of the Detroit Lions at $13.5M per season. But at roughly $12.75M per season he's now squarely in the top five salaries at his position.
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The move follows a long-held trend of the Saints not only investing top-end draft picks at offensive line, but also making sure they stick around. The Saints extended 2017 first-rounder Ryan Ramczyk last season, making him the top paid RT in the NFL. Andrus Peat was inked to a 5-year extension prior to the 2020 season, while 2020 first-round pick Cesar Ruiz is still on his rookie deal. The Saints also invested a first-round pick on Trevor Penning this last season to fill the void left by Terron Armstead, who was signed by the Miami Dolphins after playing his first nine seasons in New Orleans.
New Orleans had already extended running back Alvin Kamara and cornerback Marshon Lattimore from the star-studded 2017 draft class, while alloying DE Trey Hendrickson and safety Marcus Williams to depart for lucrative deals elsewhere in free agency.
The deal now leaves defensive end Marcus Davenport as one of the lone big names on the roster with contract questions, as he's in the 5th and final year of the rookie deal signed as a first round pick in the 2018 season.
The Saints open the 2022 season on Sept. 11 against the Falcons in Atlanta.
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