The Saints went on a huge shopping spree from July 2005 to June 2008 and are paying for it now because of their lack of flexibility. They spent $321 million in commitments over a 35-month span. The stockpile has inflated the Saints' payroll, thrusting it through the ceiling of the NFL's projected $123 million salary cap. The Saints were $4.6 million above the cap as of last week. They will need to get under the cap by February 27th and are unlikely to be able to sign any big name free agents this offseason.