The Saints entered the offseason with two guards carrying big cap hits for the 2014 season, but they got rid of one when they traded Ben Grubbs to the Chiefs.
On Wednesday, they announced a contract extension for Jahri Evans that should alleviate much of his cap hit as well. The team added a year to Evans’s deal so that it now runs through the 2017 season.
Exact details of the deal are unknown, but the result is sure to be a lower cap number than the $11 million that Evans stood to count against the cap this year. That makes it easier to hold onto him for this season, something that wasn’t guaranteed at the higher cap number, and it should leave less dead money for them to deal with if they decide to part ways with the 31-year-old down the line.
With the extension in place, Evans will almost certainly be back at right guard where he will play next to new center Max Unger in the reworked interior of the Saints offensive line.