After New Orleans recently signed former Minnesota Vikings punter and Tulane alum Ryan Wright to a lucrative four-year $14 million deal with $8 million guaranteed, the team has now traded former undrafted free agent punter Kai Kroeger to the Houston Texans, with the teams swapping 2028 sixth and seventh-round draft picks.
Now that the Saints have finally invested in special teams, this will mark the fourth consecutive season New Orleans is entering with a new punter. It also ends a three-year streak of undrafted free agent rookies, as the team has gone from Lou Hedley, Matthew Hayball and Kroeger over the past three seasons.
Punting was a major issue for the Saints in 2025. Kroeger’s 63.9 punting grade ranked 25th out of 32 qualifying punters, according to Pro Football Focus. On 56 punts, his 38.64-yard net average ranked 28th at the position, while his long of 61 yards also ranked 28th, and his 18 punts inside the 20-yard line ranked 29th.
For the Saints, getting any compensation for Kroeger is a win. They originally signed him as an undrafted free agent during training camp, and now they’ve ended up receiving a draft pick in return.
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