Saints lock up another core young offensive linemen with Cesar Ruiz extension

For the second straight year, the Saints are kicking off their season by locking down a young offensive lineman with a long-term contract.

The Saints agreed to a four-year, $44 million deal with right guard Cesar Ruiz on Saturday, with $30 million guaranteed and a max value of $46 million, a source told NewOrleans.Football, confirming initial reports. His agreement comes almost exactly one year to the day of center Erik McCoy’s five-year extension with the Saints last September 8.

The Saints declined their fifth-year option on Ruiz earlier this year, which would have cost more than $14 million on a one-year deal in 2024. But they still made it a priority to invest long-term in their former first-round pick at the right price after his breakthrough performance in 2022.

New Show: Can Michael Thomas win Comeback Player of the Year?- Marshon Lattimore ready to go- Demario Davis vs Derrick Henry- Will any Saints RBs have fantasy value?📺: https://t.co/wtauk0uy8u pic.twitter.com/QTBXxOIWl4— NOF (@nofnetwork) September 9, 2023

The Saints believed in the gains they saw from Ruiz last year before he suffered a Lisfranc foot injury in Week 15 that required surgery. Their confidence in him only grew after he came back with a strong, consistent performance throughout training camp and the preseason.

As Ruiz told Nick this week, “I say it all the time: I forgot I got this surgery. I'm back to myself. I feel fully normal out there every day."

Ruiz will need to keep proving he can perform at the same level he did last year after he battled inconsistency during his first two NFL seasons — struggling to make the transition from his college position of center.

But there is no denying the natural talent of the 6-foot-4, 316-pounder, who was drafted with the 24th overall pick due to his rare combination of strength and athleticism. Plus, he just turned 24 years old in June after entering the NFL at a young age.

Cesar Ruiz walking in the locker room like… 💰#Saints pic.twitter.com/tmWa8S9OCM— Brooke Kirchhofer (@brookechesney) September 9, 2023

I also spoke to Ruiz this week about how good it feels for the entire offensive line to enter this season healthy after left tackle Trevor Penning also underwent Lisfranc surgery this offseason while McCoy and left guard Andrus Peat both missed time with injuries last year.

Peat has since been replaced by veteran James Hurst as the starting left guard. And the Saints enter Sunday’s season opener against the Titans with all five of their projected starters healthy for just the second time since Week 9 of last season.

“It’s definitely great. We’ve had this entire month to build that chemistry with each other,” Ruiz said. “It’s not something we’re thinking about. You bringing it to my attention (that they haven’t had the starting five together much in the past two years) is the first time I thought about it. Our focus is just to do what we’ve got to do together. So it’s great we’re all here.

“It’s not a secret what we can do. I’m definitely excited for this group. Everybody worked so hard, guys coming back from different things — me coming back from my thing. It’s just exciting to have everybody back out there. I’m just excited for the whole group, man.”