Mike Triplett of the New Orleans Times-Picayune writes that Saints DE Will Smith and LB Jonathan Vilma are the “most likely veterans to be released” as the team will have to begin shedding some salary during the upcoming offseason.
Triplett adds that both players could end up renegotiating their salaries to remain with the team.
As of now, New Orleans projects to be $16 million over the 2013 salary cap, so they’ll clearly have to make some tough decisions in regards to their roster.
Both OT Jermon Bushrod and DT Sedrick Ellis will be free agents in the coming months, so there’s actually a reasonable chance that they could be playing elsewhere at the start of the 2013 season.
Smith, 31, is set to make $9 million next season along with $1 million roster bonus, while Vilma, 30, has a $4.8 million base salary and $1.1 million roster bonus of his own.
Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!
