The New Orleans Saints are making linebacker Pete Werner one of their future cornerstones on defense. The team and the fourth-year defensive player agreed to a new deal, it announced Thursday. According to ESPN, the Saints will sign Werner to a three-year, $25 million contract extension that contains $17.5 million in guarantees and keeps him in New Orleans through the 2027 season.
The deal makes Werner the 15th-highest paid off-ball linebacker in terms of average annual value, while the $17.5 million guarantee ranks eighth, according to Over the Cap.
Werner, the Saints' second-round pick in 2021, is coming off career highs in games played (16), tackles (93) and tackles for loss (four). He had the benefit of playing alongside one of the NFL's best linebackers in Demario Davis, but he also showed improvement from where he was in 2022.
Werner's missed-tackle rate dropped from 11.7% in 2022 to 8.9% in 2023, according to Pro Football Focus, while he allowed a 97.9 passer rating on throws in his direction compared to 104.9 the previous season. Both of those figures fell short of the ones he posted during his rookie year in 2021, but he played just 394 snaps during that season.
If Werner can maintain his play against the run and show improvement in coverage, the contract should be a fair value for New Orleans.