Tyree Wilson's 5th-Year Contract Option Decision Made by Saints After Raiders Trade During NFL Draft

After being traded from the Las Vegas Raiders to the New Orleans Saints over the weekend, defensive end Tyree Wilson will have to prove himself during the 2026 season.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said that the team will decline the fifth-year option on defensive end Tyree Wilson's contract, which would have guaranteed him $14.5 million for the 2027 season. Wilson is set to make $4.2 million in 2026, per Spotrac, and will become a free agent at the end of the year.

The Raiders sent Wilson and a seventh-round draft pick to the Saints on Saturday in exchange for a fifth-round pick, which was used to select Arizona safety Dalton Johnson.

The No. 7 pick in the 2023 NFL draft, Wilson has not made the impact that was expected of him when he entered the NFL. Despite missing just one game in his three-year career, he's totaled just 12 sacks in his 50 appearances.

Wilson played in all 17 games in 2025 and finished with 35 total tackles, four sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a pass deflection. The Raiders allowed averages of 317.8 yards and 25.4 points per game on defense and finished tied for the worst record in the NFL at 3-14, securing the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft. The team fired head coach Pete Carroll at the end of the year and replaced him with former Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.

Wilson will be playing on a New Orleans squad that allowed 299.8 yards and 22.5 points per game last season.

The Saints declining Wilson's option isn't much of a surprise considering his lack of consistent production, so the 25-year-old will have to use the 2026 season to showcase his skills before hitting the open market for the first time in his young career.