At the scouting combine, New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis promised to be more active in free agency this year. There was some uncertainty about how he would manage that, given the team’s difficult cap situation, but so far, Loomis and the Saints have kept their word.

Through several contract restructures, New Orleans has re-signed Chase Young and Juwan Johnson to three-year contracts, traded for Davon Godchaux, and added veteran safety Justin Reid on a three-year deal. With free agency officially starting on Wednesday, it’s clear the team is just getting started.

While these moves are expected to improve the Saints, not everyone is impressed with their approach to free agency. ESPN’s Ben Solak recently gave out some awards after the first wave of free agency, with New Orleans receiving the “Commitment to the Bit Award.” Though termed an award, it was really more of a critique of the Saints’ actions.

“The Saints signed free agent safety Justin Reid to a three-year, $37.5 million deal. This is not about tightening the purse strings and addressing the salary cap. Instead, it’s about pushing 2025, 2026, and 2027 money—money they don’t have—into the present to make the team more competitive in the short term. We don’t have the full structure of Reid’s deal, but it will likely be backloaded into 2027 and possibly extend into 2028 or beyond. Why do this when the team’s immediate future doesn’t seem to be about contention? Why do this when their cap situation is worsening? I don’t know,” said Ben Solak (ESPN).

ESPN’s criticism isn’t about the players New Orleans signed, as most agree they’re solid acquisitions. The issue, according to several analysts, is that the Saints are committing funds to these veterans instead of focusing on rebuilding.

Should New Orleans have started a rebuild sooner? Yes. But they didn’t, and they’re not planning to do so this year either. With many of their key veterans under contract for at least another season, they’re aiming to make the most of the 2025 season. As a result, their free agency strategy should be evaluated based on their current plan, not on past decisions.