Sean Payton this week likened each offseason’s roster project to a puzzle.
Every year, it’s a different picture with its own sequencing and fitting required.
Over 16 years in New Orleans, Payton encountered some difficult ones. Huge salary cap deficits to conquer. Tough choices between important players.
When it comes to roster-building and salary cap navigation, sometimes unforeseen circumstances throw a wrench in your plan, whether they’re injuries or surprise attrition or a pandemic that squeezes every team in the league and throws multiple years of planning to the wind.
For the most part, though, salary cap management is like your credit card.