ESPN: Top pending 2026 free agent has 'kept lines of communication open' with Saints

Midseason extensions are rare for the New Orleans Saints, but they aren't unheard of. Just last year they inked Alvin Kamara to a new contract halfway through the season. If the timing is right, they'll strike a deal.

And they may be close to hammering out another one, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Fowler wrote: "Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor has kept lines of communication open with New Orleans in recent months. Taylor has inside-out scheme flexibility and three pass deflections through five games. His situation could be like the 49ers' Deommodore Lenoir, who got a five-year, $89.8 million extension last midseason."

Taylor is one of the team's top pending free agents for 2026, along with wide receiver Rashid Shaheed and veterans like linebacker Demario Davis, defensive end Cameron Jordan, and quarterback Taysom Hill. If he's part of their long-term vision in the secondary, extending him before he reaches the market (and before other contracts raise the price for his services) could be good business.

But what is Taylor's role, exactly? As Fowler said, he brings inside-out flexibility. Pro Football Focus charting found that Taylor has taken more than 1,200 snaps from the slot in his four-year career, with 1,400 more reps lining up as the field or boundary corner. Taylor only has two interceptions and three forced fumbles on his resume, but he's broken up 44 passes in his career with 16 tackles for loss. Those are impact plays, and they matter. So do his six career sacks as a blitzing pass rusher.

The problem is that he's been boom or bust for much of his career. He's also missed 57 tackles, per PFF, though Pro Football Reference has a smaller yet still concerning total (45, with no other cornerback missing more than 31 times). PFR and Stathead have him tied with his former teammate Paulson Adebo for the fourth-most catches allowed at cornerback (176) since 2022, and Taylor also ranked seventh-worst in receiving yards allowed (1,977) and touchdown catches given up (13). Is it worth paying almost $18 million per year for such a high-variance player? That's something Mickey Loomis and his team in the front office have to figure out.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 2026 free agents: Alontae Taylor, Saints working on midyear extension