Over the years, the New Orleans Saints have had quite a few returning players who left to pursue other opportunities and then came back to play for them, whether right before retirement or still in their prime. 2026 will be a similar scenario, as the Saints brought back linebacker Kaden Elliss after his stint with the Atlanta Falcons, signing him to a new three-year deal worth $33 million.
One of the more fascinating parts about this contract comes down to the incentives, though, as Elliss has a regular-season sacks incentive in each year of this deal, which escalates from five to 12, each time giving him more money to work with. ESPN’s Katherine Terrell shared the details:
- $250,000: 5 or more sacks
- $350,000: 6 or more sacks
- $450,000: 8 or more sacks
- $500,000: 9 or more sacks
- $600,000: 11 or more sacks
- $750,000: 12 or more sacks
Having nearly three million dollars up for grabs each season is a huge deal, especially for a player who has continually been improving in the pass rush department. Giving him some opportunities to make money for doing so will likely get him working towards that 2022 total of seven, or potentially more.
The last two seasons, he has had 30 and 43 total pressures, so if he can begin to convert some of those to sacks, as Chase Young did in 2025, he should be able to hit a pretty high mark for the year.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: NFL free agency: Saints tipped their hand in Kaden Elliss contract