Robert Meachem wanted a fresh start.

Better yet, he decided Tuesday, would be a return home.

The former Chargers wide receiver signed a one-year deal with the Saints, the team with which he spent his first five NFL seasons before coming to San Diego in March 2012. The four-year contract guaranteed him $14 million his first two years, but the agreement proved a poor fit for both sides and ended Saturday with his release.

Texans at Chargers, 9/9/13

There was little financial upside to the weekend transaction. Meachem was due $5 million in fully guaranteed base salary, and another $1.875 million in prorated signing bonus will count against the 2013 cap. In 2014, $3.75 million in unamortized bonus will accelerate against the cap. Not until 2015 is he off the books.

But Meachem's homecoming offers at least some relief.

Off-set language was included in his base salary, as is typical with such guarantees, so San Diego will pay the receiver the difference of what he earns this season. While financial figures were not immediately available, it is expected Meachem signed for $715,000, the veteran minimum for a player of his experience.

If Meachem spends all season on the Saints roster, the $5 million in cash the Chargers owe Meachem and the cap hit that accompanies it will lower to $4.285 million. If Meachem is cut during the season, the Chargers could see only a fraction of those savings.