Age: 26
Free Agency: 2028 (Void)
Accrued Seasons: 5
- Height: 6'4"
- Weight: 319
- College: Michigan
- Entry: 2020 Draft, Round 1, #24 overall (Saints)
- 2025 Salary Cap Charge: $5,866,000 (2.08% of cap)
- 2025 Cash Payout: $9,150,000 (3.75% of spending)
- 2025 Cash to Cap Ratio: 1.56
- Contract Value: $44,000,000 ($11,000,000 APY)
- Fully Guaranteed Money: $18,188,981
- Contract Ranking: 10/70 at RG
Current Contract
(Extension, signed 2023)
(📝: indicates contract trigger occuring during that year)| Year | Age | Base Salary | Prorated Signing Bonus | Other Bonus | Guaranteed Salary | Cap Number | Cap % | Dead Money & Cap Savings | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 24 | $1,338,981 | $3,195,309 | $500,000 | $1,350,000 | $5,034,290 | 2.3% | |||||
| 2024
March 16: 2025 salary is guaranteed
| 25 | $1,350,000 | $3,100,000 | $0 | $1,350,000 | $4,450,000 | 1.7% | |||||
| 2025
March 15: $2.66 million of 2026 salary is guaranteed
| 26 | $1,170,000 | $4,696,000 | $0 | $1,170,000 | $5,866,000 | 2.1% | |||||
| 2026 | 27 | $9,500,000 | $4,696,000 | $0 | $2,661,019 | $14,196,000 | 4.8% | |||||
| 2027 | 28 | $9,500,000 | $4,696,000 | $0 | $0 | $14,196,000 | 4.6% | |||||
| 2028 | 29 | Void | $3,196,000 | Void | Void | $4,792,000 | -- | |||||
| 2029 | 30 | Void | $1,596,000 | Void | Void | $0 | -- | |||||
| Total | $22,858,981 | $25,175,309 | $500,000 | $6,531,019 | $48,534,290 | |||||||
Contract Notes
Cesar Ruiz signed a four year, $44 million extension with the Saints on September 9, 2023. $30 million is guaranteed for injury of which $18.18 million is fully guaranteed at signing. Ruiz received a $7.5 million signing bonus and his 2023 and 2024 base salaries are fully guaranteed. A roster bonus due in 2024 is also guaranteed. If on the roster on the 3rd day of the 2024 league year, Ruiz will have his 2025 salary fully guaranteed. Another $2.6 million in guarantees in 2026 will be earned on the 3rd day of the 2025 league year. On February 28, 2024 the Saints converted Ruiz\'s $8.0 million roster bonus into a signing bonus for salary cap savings, creating $6.4 million in cap savings per Tom Pelissero\'s report.
The Saints converted $7.98 million of Ruiz' 2025 salary to a bonus for salary cap purposes. The move opens up $6.384 million in cap room in 2025. His cap number will increase by $1.6 million in each future contract year.
Cash Flows
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash Due | $6,500,000 | $9,350,000 | $9,150,000 | $9,500,000 | $9,500,000 |
| Running Cash | $6,500,000 | $15,850,000 | $25,000,000 | $34,500,000 | $44,000,000 |
Career Earnings: $27,919,198
Career APY: $5,583,840
Contract History
| Team | Contract Type | Status | Year Signed | Yrs | Total | APY | Guarantees | Amount Earned | % Earned | Effective APY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saints | Drafted | Extended | 2020 | 4 | $12,679,198 | $3,169,800 | $12,679,198 | $9,730,217 | 76.7% | $3,243,406 |
| Saints | Extension | Active | 2023 | 4 | $44,000,000 | $11,000,000 | $18,188,981 | $18,188,981 | 41.3% | $9,094,491 |
Earnings By Team
| Team | Yrs | Salary | APY | Paid on Cap | % Paid on Cap | Paid as Dead Money | % Paid as Dead Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saints | 5 | $27,919,198 | $5,583,840 | $18,129,198 | 0.0% | $0 | 0.0% |
Season History
| Year | Team | Base Salary | Prorated Bonus | Other Bonus | Guaranteed Salary | Cap Number | Cap % | Cash Paid | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Saints | $610,000 | $1,695,309 | $0 | $610,000 | $2,305,309 | 1.2% | $6,781,236 | ||
| 2021 | Saints | $1,186,327 | $1,695,309 | $0 | $1,186,327 | $2,881,636 | 1.6% | $1,186,327 | ||
| 2022 | Saints | $1,762,654 | $1,695,309 | $0 | $1,762,654 | $3,457,963 | 1.7% | $1,762,654 | ||
| 2023 | Saints | $1,338,981 | $3,195,309 | $500,000 | $1,350,000 | $5,034,290 | 2.3% | $8,838,981 | ||
| 2024 | Saints | $1,350,000 | $3,100,000 | $0 | $1,350,000 | $4,450,000 | 1.7% | $9,350,000 | ||
| 2025 | Saints | $1,170,000 | $4,696,000 | $0 | $1,170,000 | $5,866,000 | 2.1% | $9,150,000 | ||
| 2026 | Saints | $9,500,000 | $4,696,000 | $0 | $2,661,019 | $14,196,000 | 4.8% | $9,500,000 | ||
| 2027 | Saints | $9,500,000 | $4,696,000 | $0 | $0 | $14,196,000 | 4.6% | $9,500,000 | ||
| 2028 | Saints | $1,500,000 | $3,196,000 | $0 | $0 | $4,792,000 | -- | $0 | ||
| 2029 | Saints | $25,000,000 | $1,596,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | -- | $0 | ||
| Total | $52,917,962 | $30,261,236 | $500,000 | $10,090,000 | $57,179,198 | $56,069,198 | ||||
Statistics
| Year | Games Played | Games Inactive | Snaps | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Injured | Healthy | Offense | Special | ||
| 2020 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 69.1% | 18.1% |
| 2021 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% | 12.2% |
| 2022 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 82.6% | 12.1% |
| 2023 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 90.7% | 14.5% |
| 2024 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 74.8% | 11.1% |
Valuation Diamond
The diamond is a scatterplot graph that visualizes the relation of the player's APY (in green) and performance (in blue, as measured by OTC's Valuations) to the rest of the league at his position. To understand how to read the diamond, read this explainer.
| OTC Valuation | APY | |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | $6,312,000 | $11,000,000 |
| Injury Adjusted | $6,312,000 | $11,000,000 |
Weekly Valuation Trends
The chart below illustrates the trend of the player's weekly OTC Valuations (in blue) from the most recent season, using APY (in green) and, if applicable, cash that is due to the player in the next season (in red) as benchmarks. Weeks not plotted indicate that the player was inactive or on a bye.
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