Earlier this offseason Saints veteran RT Ryan Ramczyk agreed to an adjusted deal that helped provide his team -- and himself -- some flexibility down the road with questions regarding his health.
The move, unlike a typical restructure aimed at spreading a cap hit over a longer period, was driven by a balky knee that he's rehabbing this offseason and creates serious questions on whether the former first round pick can get on the field this season, or at all going forward. Saints GM Mickey Loomis and head coach Dennis Allen have both spoke to the issue but did not provide any optimism, albeit adding that there's plenty of time for his rehab to run its course.
The contract was originally signed for 5 years and $96 million prior to the 2021 season and made Ramczyk the NFL's highest-paid right tackle. The adjustments netted a little over $10 million in cap savings for the 2024 season, turning a significant amount of money into incentives that Ramczyk could earn back. So what are those details? Here's what we learned this week through reports from Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football and Kat Terrell of ESPN.
Ramczyk's base salary has been reduced to the vet minimum for 2024, leaving $6.5 million that can be earned back as escalators on his contract for 2025. According to Underhill's report, those break down as:
- All Pro: $1 million
- Playing 90% of snaps and a playoff win: $1 million
- Pro Bowl (initial roster): $1 million
Another $5 million could potentially be earned through simple playtime incentives. According to Terrell's report, those break down as:
- 68% of offensive snaps: $500K
- 85% of the snaps: $1.5 million
- 90% of offensive snaps: $1.5 million
- 95% of offensive snaps: 1.5 million
If all incentives are earned it will mean an additional $9 million. Should Ramczyk retire his base salary figure ($1.2M) would be adjusted. His current contract extends through 2026 with a void year in 2027.
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Ramczyk's status has been up in the air since late in the 2023 season, which ended after Week 13 due to the knee issue flaring up. There was no specific moment of injury last year, but it's something the team had been managing throughout the season with scheduled off days that dated back to training camp. Ramczyk appeared in 12 games, with another missed in Week 7 due to a concussion.
Ramczyk had a procedure done on his knee in the offseason, according to head coach Dennis Allen, who initially gave a positive update when speaking at the NFL scouting combine but walked back that optimism weeks later during an interview at the owner's meetings.
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While Ramczyk's status is one to watch, the Saints do appear to have hedged their bets at his position with the selection of Oregon State OT Taliese Fuaga at No. 14 overall in the 2024 draft. A common-sense selection given team needs and depth at the position, he profiles as a right tackle but Allen has said the team believes he can play elsewhere if need be. The Saints are hopeful that former first-round pick Trevor Penning can compete for and win the starting left tackle job. After missing the majority of his rookie season due to injury, Penning began Week 1 as the starting left tackle but was benched several weeks later due to inconsistency and was replaced by Andrus Peat, who remains a free agent. The Saints also have questions at left guard with no established starter and depth issues following the retirement of James Hurst.
The next step for the Saints will be rookie minicamp, scheduled to take place May 10-12. The team will then hold OTAs and a mandatory minicamp throughout May and June, followed by a full training camp held in Irvine, California due to ongoing construction at the team facility.