NEW ORLEANS -- The New Orleans Saints typically have a method in the offseason.
They spent January evaluating the coaches and personnel, with new coaching hires usually coming in February. Major restructures to player contracts tend to begin in mid-February ahead of the beginning of the new league year (March 13).
The Saints have already started on some moves, restructuring the contracts of Marshon Lattimore and Jameis Winston, parting ways with offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael and letting go of some of their assistants.
Here are some of the personnel moves they'll be considering during the offseason:
Will veterans like wide receiver Michael Thomas and running back Alvin Kamara return?
The Saints will need to evaluate whether Thomas is worth bringing back for another season, and if so, at what price?
Thomas hasn't played a full season since his record-setting 2019 season because of various injuries. He has played in 20 games in the last four seasons (with 10 of them coming this season), catching 95 passes for 1,057 yards and four touchdowns in that timespan.
Thomas, who turns 31 in March, is not an unrestricted free agent, but his contract is designed in a way that will ensure he's treated as one this offseason. The Saints have to address Thomas' contract prior to the third day of the league year, when three roster bonuses totaling almost $120 million will guarantee if he remains on the roster.
It's almost the same situation as last spring, when the Saints had to rework his contract twice last offseason before bringing him back on a heavily incentivized contract in 2023.
Thomas had incentives for receptions, receiving yards, touchdowns and individual honors, but did not reach any of them after suffering a season-ending injury in Week 10.
If the Saints wanted to move on from Kamara, who posted a career-low in rushing yards (694) but had 75 receptions (eight shy of his career best) in 13 games, they would save $1.5 million against the cap in a release or trade before June 1.
Kamara's backup, Jamaal Williams, finished with 306 rushing yards in his first season with the team, and rookie Kendre Miller, who played in eight games, rushed for 156 yards.
Will Jameis Winston return as a backup?
Winston and the Saints must decide if they want him to return as Derek Carr's backup after reworking his contract on Jan. 6. The new deal has similar roster bonuses as Thomas' contract, which will be guaranteed on the third day of the league year.
The Saints could save $1.2 million against the cap by designating Winston a post-June 1 cut.
Winston has had a tumultuous four seasons in New Orleans. He joined on a minimum deal as Drew Brees' backup in 2020 and won the starting job over Taysom Hill in 2021 before a knee injury caused him to go on injured reserve.
He re-signed in 2022 after the Saints failed to acquire Deshaun Watson, but he was injured at the beginning of the season and replaced by Andy Dalton.
Winston came back in 2023 on a reduced salary as Carr's backup, but never started a game. It's possible the 30-year-old could try to win a starting job elsewhere.
Winston was recently the target of controversy after his decision to defy Dennis Allen's call to kneel the ball at the end of a blowout win against the Atlanta Falcons in the season finale.
Winston took the blame for choosing to hand the ball off to Williams even though his teammates said it was a group decision. Winston said he did not regret the decision to allow his teammate to score his first touchdown this season.
"This is the thing: This is about the team. It's not about regrets," Winston said. "It's not about anything else. It's about us as a team making a collective decision. But I do apologize to Dennis. ... That was not his call."
Will Marshon Lattimore get traded?
Saints general manager Mickey Loomis declined last week to address why the Saints reworked Marshon Lattimore's contract in December, only saying they had a reason for it.
The Saints freed up $11 million in cap space by converting $13.79 million of his 2024 base salary to an option bonus. That allowed them to spread the cap hit out over five years, similar to giving him a signing bonus.
The option bonus does not have to be exercised until one week before the regular season, giving the Saints time to find a trade partner if they wish. The Saints likely wouldn't make any move regarding Lattimore until after June 1.
June 1 is a significant date in the NFL offseason because it makes it easier for teams to part ways with players that still have significant salary cap hits. Teams can spread out the salary cap hit of players released or traded after that date instead of absorbing the remaining dead money all at once.
A Lattimore trade could cost the Saints as much as $45 million in dead money in 2024 if they exercised the bonus and traded him before June.
If the inheriting team agrees to trade for Lattimore and take on the option bonus after June 1, the Saints would have $10.6 million in dead money in 2024 and $20.6 million in 2025.
If the Saints do not trade Lattimore and keep him on the roster after the the option bonus deadline, they will have to pay him the $13.79 million whether or not they chose to exercise the option bonus.
The Saints allowed 199.1 passing yards-per-game in their first 10 games with Lattimore in the lineup and 219 without him.
Do the Saints rework right tackle Ryan Ramczyk's contract?
Ramczyk disclosed that he has been battling a cartilage issue in his left knee for three years. Ramczyk said he wants to continue playing, but he's going to have to find a solution that can get him through a season.
Ramczyk still has three years left on his contract and is set to count $27 million against the cap. The Saints could free $11.8 million this year by restructuring his contract, but that will make the future cap hit larger.
If Ramczyk is forced to retire before his contract ends, the Saints will have to absorb a significant amount of dead money. That doesn't make a restructuring decision easy unless they have clear answers regarding his knee problems.
There aren't any clear answers on the left side either. Andrus Peat is a pending free agent and 2022 first-round pick Trevor Penning was benched at the left tackle spot early in the year.
The Saints will need to re-sign Peat and put him at tackle permanently, move James Hurst back to tackle or figure out how to bring Penning up to speed. Otherwise, they might have to look for tackles in free agency, which is always an expensive option.
Will Payton Turner's fifth-year option be picked up?
The Saints haven't exercised a player's fifth-year option since they picked up Marcus Davenport's prior to the 2021 season.
The price has risen since Davenport, a 2018 first-round pick, played out his fifth season for $9.5 million in 2022.
New Orleans has until May 2 to decide if they will pick up Turner's fifth-year option, which is projected to be $13.8 million according to Over the Cap -- higher than Carl Granderson's and Cameron Jordan's average salary.
The Saints have declined options and still re-signed a player in prior years, but considering Turner has played in 15 games in four seasons, the Saints will be faced with a decision about his future with the franchise.