The New Orleans Saints continued to chip away at their league-high salary-cap figure by restructuring safety Jairus Byrd’s contract.

The Saints converted Byrd’s roster bonus to a signing bonus -- a simple tweak that saves $4.8 million against the 2015 cap, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Field Yates.

The Saints also released running back Pierre Thomas on Wednesday. However, they’ve got more work to do as they still need to trim more than $15 million in salary-cap space by March 10.

New Orleans could save all $15 million through similar bonus restructures to the contracts of tight end Jimmy Graham and linebackers Junior Galette and Curtis Lofton. However, it’s also possible the team will consider releasing, trading or demanding pay cuts from Galette and Lofton instead.

Other players in jeopardy of being released or taking pay cuts include receiver Marques Colston, guards Ben Grubbs and Jahri Evans, defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley, linebacker David Hawthorne and cornerback Corey White.

Byrd, 28, was signed to a lucrative free-agent deal last offseason worth $54 million over six years. The Saints planned all along to restructure his second-year bonus for cap purposes.

Byrd was due a $6 million roster bonus this year, which will now become a signing bonus and count just $1.2 million against the cap for each of the next five years. Byrd’s salary-cap cost dropped from $10.3 million to $5.5 million.

A three-time Pro Bowl safety with the Buffalo Bills, Byrd spent most of last season on injured reserve after he tore the lateral meniscus in his knee during practice. But he tweeted Wednesday that he has officially been cleared for the 2015 season.