Former KC Chiefs LB Willie Gay Jr. Agrees to One-Year Deal With New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints have come to terms with former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay on a one-year deal worth a max of $5 million.

The contract includes $3 million guaranteed.

The 26-year-old Gay has been with the Chiefs since being selected out of Mississippi State in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

In four seasons with Kansas City, he appeared in 57 games (47 starts), tallying 223 tackles (150 solo), 5.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, 19 passes defended, five interceptions and a touchdown.

A fan favorite, Gay leaves the Chiefs as a two-time Super Champion (2022, 2023).

He will now reunite in New Orleans with former Chiefs teammates Tyrann Mathieu and Khalen Saunders.

This signing is the first major move for the salary cap strapped Saints.

They did lose linebacker Zach Baun, who agreed to terms with the Philadelphia Eagles earlier in the week.

Other departures in free agency include DB Lonnie Johnson Jr. (Texans), QB Jameis Winston (Browns), and DT Malcolm Roach (Broncos).

The team is also expected to cut safety Marcus Maye and wide receiver Michael Thomas.

The Saints came into the offseason having to trim over $75 million towards this upcoming season's salary cap. They did that with a multitude of restructured contracts.

The team was also helped by the NFL's salary getting bumped up nicely to an all-time high of $250 million.