NEW ORLEANS – Drew Brees, Jairus Byrd and Dannell Ellerbe won’t become salary-cap casualties for the New Orleans Saints this year.
Brees and Byrd had large portions of their salaries become fully guaranteed on Wednesday. Ellerbe, meanwhile, restructured his contract to remain on the roster, according to a league source.
The specifics of Ellerbe’s new deal are unknown. He was scheduled to earn $5.2 million in salary and bonuses this year. That would have been too costly for the 30-year-old veteran, who was limited to just six games because of injuries last year. However, it made sense for both sides to work out a pay cut since the former Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins starter appeared to be a good fit in New Orleans’ defense at weakside linebacker when he was healthy.