Report: Saints free agent Alontae Taylor could break $17M per year

Whew. It's looking more and more likely that New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor will be one of the top earners in free agency next week. NFL Media's Tom Pelissero listed Taylor among ten players who could earn surprisingly big contracts, with Taylor's average per year expected to hit more than $17 million. Here's what he had to say about where Taylor ranks in this cornerback class:

While Super Bowl champions Riq Woolen, Jaylen Watson and Jamel Dean are among the biggest names at cornerback in this year's market, don’t sleep on Taylor, who nearly was dealt to the Bears at the trade deadline before contract talks stalled. He’s one of three players with 10+ passes defensed in each of the last four seasons -- along with Woolen and 2024 Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II -- with 52 total during that span (fourth-most in the NFL). He has the versatility to play outside or in the slot. Now, Taylor’s payday is coming, and it could top $17 million a year.

That's substantial. Taylor's ability to line up outside and move to the slot in nickel personnel is valuable, and teams are going to value his ability to disrupt plays with pass breakups and tackles for loss (21 of them, third-most among all cornerbacks since he entered the league). Seeing him earn $17 million per year just one offseason after the Saints let Paulson Adebo walk for $18 million per year would be wild, but it goes to show how good a job they've done drafting and developing cornerbacks. If this is it for Taylor in New Orleans, they'll need to keep that pipeline going. Expectations have to be high for Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley going into 2026.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Report: Saints free agent Alontae Taylor could sign for $17M per year