The New Orleans Saints have quickly gone from a team that looked like it could use a full rebuild, to one that is a few pieces from potentially winning the NFC South in 2026.
That’s how much the perception of the team changed in the second half of the season with Tyler Shough under center. Now, of course, it’s not just him. The Saints hit on almost every single one of their selections in the 2025 National Football League Draft. When land clear starters at offensive tackle (Kelvin Banks Jr.), quarterback (Tyler Shough), and safety (Jonas Sanker) in the same draft class plus guys who very well could play a big role for a long time, like Quincy Riley and Danny Stutsman, it’s easy to get excited about the long-term outlook of the franchise.
Those are a lot of holes that the team helped to plug in just one offseason on cheap, rookie deals. That gives the franchise flexibility to look around this offseason, especially as they start to restructure deals and free up salary cap space. One guy the team should look into is old friend Trey Hendrickson. He was drafted by the Saints and spent the first four seasons of his career in town before joining the Cincinnati Bengals for the lat five seasons. He was good in New Orleans, but developed into one of the best overall defensive players in football with Cincinnati.
The Saints should absolutely consider a reunion
Hendrickson logged 35 total sacks combined across the 2023 and 2024 campaigns. Now, he’s a four-time Pro Bowler and is a pending free agent. Over the last year, there’s been a lot of drama about his standing with Cincinnati as he looked for a long-term deal. He didn’t get it and played in just seven games in 2025.
Now, Spotrac has his projected market value at just over $50 million across two years. If the 31-year-old actually settles for a short-term pact like this, it would be a no-brainer for New Orleans to pursue him. In comparison, the Saints signed Chase Young to a three-year, $51 million deal last offseason when the team’s salary cap was in a much worse position, so financially, there could be a pathway to a deal.
If there was a way to pair Hendrickson and Young while also retaining Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis, the pass rush could be among the best in football in 2026. It’s not every day a superstar like Hendrickson becomes available. The Saints should be all over him.
