The New Orleans Saints are locking up one of their key pieces on defense. On Saturday, the team agreed to terms on a five-year extension with defensive end Carl Granderson, according to ESPN. The deal is reportedly worth $52 million and includes $35.3 million guaranteed.
Granderson, who entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2019 out of Wyoming, signed a two-year contract extension with the team in March of 2022 and was currently in the final year of that contract. Now, this extension ties the 26-year-old to the organization through the 2028 season.
Granderson has blossomed into a key piece of New Orleans' pass rusher over the past few seasons and is coming off a career year in 2022. In 16 games played (four starts), he totaled 5.5 sacks, 53 tackles, nine tackles for a loss and a forced fumble. All of those marks were career highs. Through two games this year, Granderson has tallied 2.5 sacks and six quarterback hits to go along with a forced fumble.
In 56 career games played thus far, Granderson has posted 108 tackles, 17 sacks and 34 quarterback hits.
After signing with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2019, Granderson served a 43-day jail sentence beginning that July and ending on Aug. 31 after pleading no contest to sexual battery and unlawful conduct stemming from an incident involving a woman in 2018. Granderson was placed on the reserve/did not report list during that sentence and was activated onto the roster roughly two weeks following his release that year.
