Cesar Ruiz

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

The Saints handed Cesar Ruiz a significant overpay at $11.0M AAV, earning an F CVI that reflects poor contract value relative to his on-field contributions. Paying franchise-caliber guard money to an unproven player represents a massive miscalculation in resource allocation, especially when that salary figure puts Ruiz among the higher-paid interior linemen league-wide. At 25, he's theoretically entering his prime years, but four seasons into his career, the former first-round pick has failed to develop into the impact player New Orleans envisioned when they drafted him. The $18.2M in guaranteed money limits the team's flexibility if Ruiz continues to underperform, essentially locking them into an expensive mediocrity for the next two seasons. This deal exemplifies how teams can get trapped paying draft pedigree rather than actual production — the Saints needed to either develop Ruiz properly or move on, not reward underwhelming play with a premium contract that hamstrings their salary cap.

Performance Analysis

Cesar Ruiz pulls an F for the Saints at guard, one of the biggest draft busts on New Orleans's offensive line. Ruiz was a first-round pick who was supposed to anchor the interior, and the results have been profoundly disappointing. He has been beaten in pass protection consistently and has not shown the physicality needed to sustain run blocks at the NFL level. The Saints offensive line has been a weakness, and Ruiz is a primary reason why. New Orleans invested premium capital expecting a starter, and instead they have gotten one of the worst-graded guards in football.