Bub Means

Career StatsC-

Year	Team	GP	Rec	Yards	TD
Career		7	9	118	1
2025		1	1	12	0
2024		7	9	118	1

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

New Orleans Saints got a C+ Contract Value Index out of the Bub Means signing because the guaranteed money matches the production tier. At $1.07M AAV on a four-year deal, this is a depth-piece contract for a second-year receiver who has produced nine career receptions and 118 receiving yards — not the profile you'd expect to anchor an NFL roster, let alone command significant guaranteed money. Means' 2025 season ended almost before it started: he appeared in just 1 game and recorded 12 receiving yards before landing on season-ending injured reserve, capping what was supposed to be his pivotal year to establish himself as a reliable target. The injury setback, combined with his anemic career output, has shifted the organizational narrative decisively — the Saints are actively targeting wide receiver in the draft and have recently signed other pass-catchers in free agency, a clear signal that New Orleans is not banking on Means to be a foundational piece of their offensive rebuild. At 25 with no contractual leverage and minimal on-field evidence to point to, his 2026 training camp is functionally an audition to secure a roster spot rather than a competition for playing time. The C+ grade reflects a deal that's appropriately modest for his production profile, but it carries real risk if the injury lingers or his developmental trajectory stalls further — the low salary provides minimal margin for error.

Contracts in the Same Value Band

Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the C band — a quick read on where Bub's contract sits relative to comparable money.

Performance Analysis

Bub Means delivers production that earns a C- performance grade against WR comps. A second-year receiver still searching for NFL traction, Means has managed just 12 receiving yards across 1 game played in the 2025 season before landing on season-ending injured reserve — a setback that caps what was supposed to be a pivotal proving ground for his career trajectory. His nine career receptions and 118 receiving yards through two seasons represent well-below-replacement-level production, placing him well outside the realm of dependable contributors at the position. The injury, combined with the Saints' recent roster moves — most notably signing WR Brock Rechsteiner and reportedly targeting wide receiver in the draft — signals that New Orleans has effectively moved on from banking on Means as part of their offensive rebuild. At 25 on a modest one-year deal with zero contractual leverage, Means enters the 2026 offseason not as a developmental prospect with untapped potential but as a roster-bubble candidate facing a genuine fight to stay employed; his value hinges entirely on a strong training camp, and even that may not be enough if the Saints' draft and free-agency strategy yields results at the position.

How Bub Compares at the Position

Bub Means ranks 165th of 295 graded wide receivers by performance. That slots Bub between Jahdae Walker (C-) just ahead and Trey Palmer (C-) just behind.

Current Sentiment

The public narrative around Bub Means has settled into genuinely bleak territory, with sentiment holding steady at a D- and little on the horizon to suggest a reversal. The dominant storyline is one of stalled development — a second-year receiver who was supposed to use the 2025 season as his proving ground instead landed on season-ending injured reserve, capping a year in which he managed just 12 receiving yards in 1 game played, and leaving his nine career receptions and 118 career receiving yards as the full measure of what he's produced at the NFL level. That anemic career output aligns squarely with his D performance grade, and the disconnect between that reality and at least one breathless breakout narrative floating around in the media only makes the situation feel more disjointed — the optimism reads as wishful thinking against a backdrop of hard evidence. The Saints' roster activity has done nothing to help his cause: New Orleans recently cut fellow receivers Samori Toure and Elijah Cooks in a position-room housecleaning, and reports of the organization actively targeting wide receiver in the upcoming draft send a clear organizational signal that they are not counting on Means to be part of the solution. At 25 and on a modest one-year deal with no contractual leverage, the consensus framing has shifted decisively from developmental prospect to roster bubble candidate — his 2026 training camp isn't a competition for a featured role, it's essentially an audition to stay employed in the NFL.