Age: 29
Free Agency: 2026 (UFA)
Accrued Seasons: 6
- Height: 6'2"
- Weight: 310
- College: Western Illinois
- Entry: 2019 Draft, Round 3, #84 overall (Chiefs)
- 2025 Salary Cap Charge: $455,000 (0.16% of cap)
- 2025 Cash Payout: $455,000 (0.22% of spending)
- 2025 Cash to Cap Ratio: 1.00
- Contract Value: $1,170,000 ($1,170,000 APY)
- Fully Guaranteed Money: $0
- Contract Ranking: 137/254 at IDL
Current Contract
(SFA, signed 2025)
(📝: indicates contract trigger occuring during that year)| Year | Age | Base Salary | Cap Number | Cap % | Dead Money & Cap Savings | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 29 | $1,170,000 | $455,000 | 0.2% | ||||
| Total | $1,170,000 | $455,000 | ||||||
Contract Notes
Khalen Saunders signed a three year, $12.3 million contract with the Saints. $6.6 million is guaranteed with $4.6 million guaranteed at signing. If on the roster on the 3rd day of the league year Saunders will earn another $2 million in full guarantees and a $300,000 roster bonus. If on the roster on the 5th day of the 2025 league year he will earn a $300,000 bonus. There are per game bonuses in both 2024 and 2025.
The Saints converted $2.63 million of Saunders 2025 salary into a bonus for cap purposes. The move frees up $2.1 million in cap room and increases his cap number in eaxh existing year by $525,882.
Cash Flows
| 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Cash Due | $1,170,000 |
| Running Cash | $1,170,000 |
Career Earnings: $14,758,841
Career APY: $2,459,807
Contract History
| Team | Contract Type | Status | Year Signed | Yrs | Total | APY | Guarantees | Amount Earned | % Earned | Effective APY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | Drafted | Expired | 2019 | 4 | $3,673,180 | $918,295 | $915,180 | $3,975,180 | 108.2% | $993,795 |
| Saints | UFA | Traded | 2023 | 3 | $12,300,000 | $4,100,000 | $4,600,000 | $8,229,412 | 66.9% | $4,114,706 |
| Jaguars | UFA | Terminated | 2023 | 3 | $12,300,000 | $4,100,000 | $4,600,000 | $0 | 0.0% | $0 |
| Jets | SFA | Active | 2025 | 1 | $1,170,000 | $1,170,000 | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | $0 |
Earnings By Team
| Team | Yrs | Salary | APY | Paid on Cap | % Paid on Cap | Paid as Dead Money | % Paid as Dead Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | 4 | $3,975,180 | $993,795 | $3,975,180 | 0.0% | $0 | 0.0% |
| Saints | 2 | $8,529,412 | $4,264,706 | $6,200,000 | 0.0% | $4,729,412 | 0.0% |
| Jaguars | 0 | $2,254,249 | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | $3,044,412 | 0.0% |
| Jets | 0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | $0 | 0.0% |
Season History
| Year | Team | Base Salary | Prorated Bonus | Workout Bonus | Guaranteed Salary | Cap Number | Cap % | Cash Paid | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Chiefs | $495,000 | $228,795 | $0 | $0 | $723,795 | 0.4% | $1,410,180 | ||
| 2020 | Chiefs | $675,000 | $228,795 | $25,000 | $0 | $928,795 | 0.4% | $700,000 | ||
| 2021 | Chiefs | $850,000 | $228,795 | $25,000 | $0 | $1,103,795 | 0.6% | $875,000 | ||
| 2022 | Chiefs | $965,000 | $228,795 | $25,000 | $0 | $1,218,795 | 0.6% | $990,000 | ||
| 2023 | Saints | $1,100,000 | $700,000 | $0 | $1,100,000 | $1,800,000 | 0.8% | $4,600,000 | ||
| 2024 | Saints | $3,100,000 | $700,000 | $0 | $2,300,000 | $4,400,000 | 1.7% | $3,629,412 | ||
| 2025 | Jets | $1,170,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $455,000 | 0.2% | $455,000 | ||
| Total | $8,355,000 | $2,315,180 | $75,000 | $3,400,000 | $10,630,180 | $12,659,592 | ||||
Statistics
| Year | Games Played | Games Inactive | Snaps | Tackles | Negative Plays | Interceptions | Fumbles | TD | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Injured | Healthy | Defense | Special | Solo | Assist | Sacks | Yards | TFL | QB Hits | Pass Def. | INT | Yards | Forced | Rec. | Yards | |||
| 2019 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 27.2% | 0.7% | 13 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 6.9% | 0.9% | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 12.9% | 0.0% | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 34.8% | 14.7% | 22 | 26 | 3.5 | 22.5 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 36.5% | 24.4% | 24 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 39.1% | 0.4% | 18 | 25 | 2 | 18 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 6.6% | 0.3% | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 | $0 | $0 |
| Injury Adjusted | $0 | $0 |
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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