Saints sign Christen Miller: Salary cap space, outlook for the future

Yahoo Sports1h ago17 min readOriginal source →

TL;DR

The New Orleans Saints signed defensive tackle Christen Miller to a four-year deal, finalizing their entire 2026 draft class. The team's salary cap is now estimated at $7.98 million after this signing.

Key points

Saints signed Christen Miller to a four-year deal
Entire 2026 draft class is now under contract
Saints' salary cap estimated at $7.98 million
Miller's 2026 cap hit around $2.16 million
Signing affects the cap space by pushing a lower hit player beneath the threshold

Pete WernerMason TiptonNew Orleans SaintsChristen Miller

Saints sign Christen Miller: Salary cap space, outlook for the future

No drama this time -- on Saturday, the New Orleans Saints announced a four-year deal with defensive tackle Christen Miller, their second-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. That means the team's entire eight-man draft class is now under contract. Because contract guarantees for second rounders have become a battleground between teams and agents in recent years, we've seen the Saints sign those players as early as May 31 and as late as July 19 (when rookies report for training camp). Miller's contract came in weeks ahead of schedule, if not months.

So now the big question we're asking isn't "when will the Saints sign Miller" but instead, "what does the Saints' salary cap look like," so let's dive into it.

After signing seven of their eight picks and restructuring their contract with linebacker Pete Werner, Over The Cap estimated the Saints were under the salary cap by about $9.07 million. OTC's experts also estimate that Miller's 2026 salary cap hit will fall in around $2.16 million. Because only the 51 highest cap hits factor into the salary cap this time of the year, Miller signing will push a lower cap hit (wide receiver Mason Tipton, at $1.07 million) beneath that threshold. The end result: a new salary cap space estimate of $7.98 million.

That's enough cap space to add a couple of minimum-salary contracts ahead of training camp, and to navigate roster moves in-season, but not much more. The Saints are still working on a long-term extension with star wide receiver Chris Olave which could lower his 2026 cap hit ($15.49 million, leading the team). At the same time, these rookie deals factor into future years' cap outlooks, too: