Saints Cut Pro Bowl Guard Larry Warford in Bold Cap-Saving Maneuver
By Jerry Trotta
The New Orleans Saints are clearly doing everything possible to win another Super Bowl with Drew Brees under center before he retires, and that urgency saw the team make a plethora of roster-bolstering moves this offseason.
However, those transactions have put the Saints right up against the salary cap, and that has forced them part ways with a perennial world-beater up front.
Per NFL insider Ian Rapoport, New Orleans has cut Pro Bowl offensive guard Larry Warford.
Source: The #Saints have cut guard Larry Warford, who will be one of the top FAs available.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 8, 2020
Prior to the move, the Saints were working with $2.73 million in cap space. Warford's release will save the franchise close to $8 million, but that doesn't make it any less bold.
Following a four-year run with the Detroit Lions, New Orleans inked Warford to a four-year, $34 million contract in the 2017 offseason. To say that the 28-year-old exceeded expectations in the Big Easy would be an understatement. He's been named to three consecutive Pro Bowls and has played 88% of the offensive snaps during that span.
New Orleans paid G Larry Warford a $750,000 roster bonus this spring, but save more than $7M against the cap with this move. The signings of Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill made this a necessity. https://t.co/58CoQDHW5R
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 8, 2020
Rostering Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill over retaining one of Brees' most reliable blockers is a decision that will cause a divide among Saints fans, and understandably so. You have to think that the former third-round pick won't last very long on the open market.
New Orleans must be high on Michigan product Cesar Ruiz, who the organization drafted No. 24 overall in the Draft. That's the only logical explanation for cutting Warford.