Nick Fairley will officially miss the 2017 season with a heart condition that he has been seeking help for throughout the offseason. Fairley has sought out various doctors for opinions on the condition, but the Saints were forced to put him on the non-football illness/reserve list Monday. His playing career may also be in jeopardy past the season. New Orleans signed Fairley to a four-year, $28 million contract with $14 million guaranteed in March.

Fairley has been dogged by issues both off and on the field since being drafted in the first round by the Detroit Lions in 2011. After a stint with the the Los Angeles (then St. Louis) Rams, he was one of the few bright spots that the Saints saw defensively in 2016. Fairley notched 6.5 sacks and 43 tackles on a one year deal, earning the contract that the Saints gave him this offseason. It's a big blow to a defense that can't deal with many more blows to begin with, and the Saints will have to improvise to fill the hole in their line.

By placing Fairley on NFI list, the Saints are granted the option of not paying out his deal. More pressingly, however, is his general health and career past this season. After consulting at least three doctors, at least one of which advised he shouldn't play football again, Fairley's future has been cast in question. This all arose after the Saints signed him in March, when a doctor performing a physical on him noticed an irregularity in Fairley's heartbeat. As he's now 29-years-old, missing a year on the wrong side of 30 rarely bodes well for an NFL player coming back at all, let alone coming back the same player.