Nick Fairley, Saints Reportedly Would Like to Agree on Contract in Free Agency

The New Orleans Saints and Nick Fairley have a mutual desire to reunite this offseason, but the question remains whether they'll be able to work out a deal, The Advocate's Nick Underhill reported Wednesday.

Underhill speculated Fairley could be looking to earn $9.5 million annually, which would be the ninth-highest average salary among defensive tackles, per Spotrac.

Fairley finished the 2016 season with 43 combined tackles and a career-high 6.5 sacks. Despite his production, Pro Football Focus gave him the lowest grade (76.9) of his NFL career, which was 34th among interior defenders this past year.

The Saints have a little under $29 million in salary-cap space, per Spotrac, so they'd have the room to re-sign Fairley if they make him a priority. However, New Orleans will likely want to make multiple upgrades to a unit that ranked 30th in defensive DVOA in 2016 and 32nd in 2015, per Football Outsiders.

ESPN Insider's Field Yates argued Monday the Saints would be better off letting Fairley leave: "The Saints have some cap breathing room this offseason, but the focus on this defense must be building it through the draft, addressing the linebacker spot and getting healthy in the secondary."

The franchise tag is an option—albeit an unrealistic one—for New Orleans should discussions on a long-term contract go nowhere. The MMQB's Albert Breer estimated the tag for a defensive tackle to be $13.47 million, which would eat a lot of the Saints' available cap space.

For the right price, Fairley's return makes sense for New Orleans. Should the team get in a bidding war, with Fairley's salary climbing into the $10-$11 million range, though, spending that money elsewhere would arguably be the Saints' more sensible route.