They arrived seven years ago with great fanfare and even greater expectations. And somehow, the Saints’ 2017 draft class managed to exceed those expectations.
As draft classes go, they don’t get much better.
Marshon Lattimore.
Ryan Ramczyk.
Marcus Williams.
Alvin Kamara.
Alex Anzalone.
Trey Hendrickson.
Al-Quadin Muhammad.
Seven picks. Seven hits.
The group had it all: star power, instant impact and multiyear production. They transformed the franchise, leading the Saints to four division titles and an average of 10 wins a season in their first seven seasons. Along the way, they earned 13 All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors and more than $204 million in contracts.
One by one, they’ve moved on. Some for better contracts. Others for more promising opportunities. Muhammad to Indianapolis. Anzalone to Detroit. Hendrickson to Cincinnati. Williams to Baltimore.
Today, only Kamara, Lattimore and Ramczyk remain in New Orleans.
For how long remains to be seen.
In fact, with each passing day, it appears more and more likely that the 2024 season will be the last hurrah for the Saints’ 2017 draft class.
Dark clouds have formed on the horizon for each of Kamara, Lattimore and Ramczyk recently. The upcoming season could be their swan song in New Orleans.
A look at their individual situations:
Alvin Kamara
Kamara’s long-term future in New Orleans became much cloudier Thursday after he elected to skip a mandatory minicamp practice because of a contract dispute. These kinds of things rarely happen with the Saints and are a clear indication of the growing divide between the star running back and team management.
Entering what is effectively the final year of a five-year, $75 million contract, Kamara is seeking the security of a long-term extension. The cash-strapped Saints, meanwhile, are taking a wait-and-see approach with the soon-to-be 29-year-old runner, who — unlike his 2017 draft classmate Christian McCaffrey — has seen his production decline precipitously in recent seasons.
It’s notable that the Saints did not extend Kamara this offseason. By reworking his deal, the team could have created much-needed cap room on their books for this season. Yet they didn’t, leaving them flexibility for the future.
Kamara's cap number balloons to an untenable $29 million next season. The Saints can save $10.1 million to $18.9 million by releasing him next offseason.
Meanwhile, Kendre Miller — the club's third-round pick in the 2023 draft — waits in the wings.
At this point, an amicable resolution to the stalemate between Kamara and the Saints seems unlikely.
Marshon Lattimore
Lattimore’s future is equally cloudy. Like Kamara, he has underperformed the past two seasons and is effectively entering the final year of the five-year, $97 million contract extension he signed in 2021. Injuries have sidelined Lattimore for half of the Saints' games the last two seasons. And when he’s been healthy, he’s been too inconsistent for the Saints liking. Pro Football Focus graded Lattimore 50th among cornerbacks last season.
The frustration over Lattimore’s play and availability caused the relationship between him and the team to fray toward the end of last season. Management restructured his contract in a way that would make him more easily tradable this offseason. He was the subject of trade rumors, but serious interest from suitors never materialized.
“It’s all business at the end of the day,” Lattimore said last week of the trade speculation. “I can’t have no personal problem because you want to trade me or something. It is what it is. Everybody knows what can happen.”
Like Kamara, the Saints can release Lattimore after this season and save millions against the salary cap. For this reason, the 2024 season is effectively the final year of his contract.
Ryan Ramczyk
Ramczyk’s future is the murkiest of all. He has been M.I.A. all offseason while trying to rehab a chronic condition in his knee.
The Saints remain hopeful for his return to health, but those hopes appear to be more quixotic than realistic. Allen said this week that Ramczyk’s status is “not trending in any direction” right now and that there is “no timeline” for his return. First-year offensive line coach John Benton referred to Ramczyk as an “injury casualty” earlier this spring.
Fact is Ramczyk’s potentially career-ending knee condition has been a concern for years on Airline Drive. That he was able to grind through the injury and play 38 games the past three seasons is a testament to his toughness and commitment.
Regardless, the Saints confronted reality this offseason and started preparing for a future without Ramczyk. They selected prized tackle Taliese Fuaga in the first round of the NFL draft and moved former first-round pick Trevor Penning to Ramczyk’s right tackle spot.
At this point, Ramczyk appears headed toward the injured reserve list for the 2024 season.
So there you have it. Three star players from the 2017 draft class. Three prickly situations with more questions than answers at this point.
Who knows? Maybe things will work themselves out. Maybe Ramczyk’s knee will miraculously heal. Maybe Kamara and Lattimore will turn things around and have healthy, productive 2024 seasons, spurring the Saints to offer them long-term extensions next offseason.
They say the NFL stands for Not For Long, right? Things can — and do — change quickly in the league.
But for now, it appears more probable than not that 2024 will be the swan song for the Saints’ Class of 2017.
