Orlando, Florida — Dennis Allen was more than hopeful that tackle Ryan Ramczyk’s knee ailment, which required offseason surgery, wouldn’t be an issue this season, over a month ago. As per the coach of the New Orleans Saints, the offensive lineman was performing “much better.” He even sounded relieved.
On Tuesday, that was not the case.
When speaking to reporters about Ramczyk during the NFL owners’ meetings, Allen abruptly changed the subject, telling them that Ramczyk’s availability for the upcoming season “remains to be seen.” A bothersome knee injury that he attributed to the “wear and tear” of the NFL kept the 29-year-old out of the final four games of the previous campaign.
Allen stated, “We got plenty of time…. I don’t know that I’m seeing as much development as I was hoping to see at this point. A few weeks ago, I was feeling a lot better about it. We’ll just have to wait and watch how everything plays out as the offseason progresses and training camp approaches.
Allen responded, “It could be,” when asked if Ramczyk’s injury will be a problem for the upcoming campaign.
A few weeks ago, Ramczyk consented to accept a sizable salary reduction for the upcoming season. Ramczyk consented to forgo a conventional restructure in favor of a new contract that only guaranteed him $6.5 million ($1.2 million base salary plus a $5.3 million signing bonus). With this transaction, the Saints were able to free up $14 million in cap space.
After speaking with the tackle in the offseason, Allen claimed he became increasingly negative about Ramczyk’s injury. Allen stated that Ramczyk’s progress wasn’t where they were “probably hoping he’d be.” The Saints haven’t talked about whether Ramczyk would require another surgery, he continued.
Ramczyk said at the close of the previous season that his future was unknown and that he hoped medical professionals would provide further information. He restated his intention to continue playing in the NFL but expressed concern about the impact his knee injury would have on his post-football life. His knee had gotten to the point “where I wasn’t able to perform how I needed to when I was out there,” thus he missed the previous five weeks of action. Ramczyk claimed to be irate, feeling as though his body was “breaking down.”
A first-round selection in 2017, Ramczyk inked a five-year, $96 million contract in 2021. During his first four seasons, he was one of the NFL’s greatest tacklers and an extremely productive player, making three All-Pro teams.
Upon renegotiating, Ramczyk will have a $12.8 million salary cap hit the following season. The 2026 season will elapse before his contract expires.
Regarding the start of the upcoming season in September, Allen remarked, “There’s a long time before we kick the ball off.” “We’ll see how it goes over the next three, four, five, or six months — whatever it is — before we get to the season,” the speaker said, declining to draw any conclusions just yet.
