Whew. The New Orleans Saints made a splash in free agency by addressing one of their most frustrating needs — ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports an agreement is in place with former Minnesota Vikings punter Ryan Wright, a runner-up in last year’s All-Pro voting. Schefter adds that it’s a four-year deal worth $14 million with a little over half of that guaranteed ($8 million). It’s a big investment, but the Saints have had big problems in the kicking game. Wright averaged more yards per punt last year (49) than New Orleans has seen from a punter since Thomas Morstead’s 2016 season (48.3).
If you needed more proof that Wright has a big leg, here he is booting a 77-yard punt to the opposing goal line:
The Saints have been stuck on the kicking carousel ever since they moved on from Morstead back in 2021, going from his understudy Blake Gillikin (who just signed a two-year extension with the Arizona Cardinals) to one-and-done punters Lou Hedley, Matthew Hayball, and Kai Kroeger. Hopefully Wright’s improvement in 2025 carries over into 2026 and beyond. He turns 27 in June and should be seen as ascending player. An average annual salary of $3.5 million per year would rank fifth-best among punters, so they obviously have high expectations for him.
