The New Orleans Saints right tackle, Ryan Ramczyk, has dealt with cartilage loss in his left knee over the past three seasons. He underwent surgery in February, which was initially successful, and at the time, Head Coach Dennis Allen told the media that he was progressing well.
Months have passed since Allen told the media that Ramczyk was progressing well, and he changed his tune.
The New Orleans Saints head coach changed his tune
Dennis Allen changed his tune when he gave an update on Ryan Ramczyk’s recent setback.
“He just isn’t quite where I was probably hoping he’d be, and really quite frankly, where he was hoping he’d be,” Allen told reporters at the NFL’s annual league meeting on Tuesday. “But … there’s a long time before we kick the ball off, so I wouldn’t jump to any conclusions right now, but we’ll see how it goes over the next three, four, five, six months, whatever that is, before we get to the beginning of the season.”
The Saints restructured his contract.
The New Orleans Saints restructured his contract
The Saints restructured Ryan Ramczyk’s contract, freeing $14 million in cap space. His restructured contract includes $6.5 million in guarantees and can earn up to $9 million in incentives.
As a result, his base salary dropped from $17 million to $1.21 million, and his cap hit dropped from $27 million to $12.86 million for the 2024 season.
Finally, he can earn up to $9 million in incentives (which would be added to 2025’s cap) for performance escalators as follows:
- $1 million for being an All-Pro.
- $6 million in play-time incentives.
- $1 million for playing 90 percent of offensive snaps and the team winning a playoff game.
- $1 million for making the Pro Bowl.
There are three reasons why restructuring his contract is bad news for him.
Reason 1
The first reason is that he might not earn the $9 million in incentives because he might not play in 2024. Ian Rapoport reports that the Saints are preparing for the possibility of him not being medically cleared to play.
“The #Saints
are preparing for the real possibility that OT Ryan Ramczyk is medically not able to play this season, sources say. Coach Dennis Allen alluded to Ramczyk’s knee not responding as they hoped, and it’s unclear when or if it will. A true question mark.”
Reason 2
The second reason is that the Saints drafted Taliese Fuaga 14th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. Fuaga played right tackle at Oregon State, but it’s unclear whether he will play left or right tackle because the Saints need help at left tackle since Trevor Penning has struggled, and the uncertainty of Ramczyk playing in 2024.
We will get a better answer once Rookie Minicamp starts Friday.
Reason 3
The third reason is that his career might be over. Given the severity of cartilage loss in his knee, he may have to call it quits.
Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football doesn’t expect Ramczyk to play football again.
“I’m currently not expecting him to play football.”
Conclusion
To conclude, Ryan Ramczyk underwent surgery in February, attempting to fix cartilage loss in his left knee, which has been an issue for the past three seasons. The surgery initially was successful, but he has experienced setbacks, creating uncertainty for his future.
In the meantime, the Saints restructured his contract by including $6.5 million in guarantees and $9 million in incentives in performance escalators for the 2024 season. However, he might not earn the incentives because he might not play in 2024, the Saints may have drafted his replacement 14th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, and his career might be over.
Could this be the end of Ramczyk’s NFL career?
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