The Saints have extended Pierre Thomas with a two-year deal, according to his agent Lamont Smith (on Twitter). The extension will keep Thomas under contract through the 2016 season.
There was a great deal of speculation this offseason that the Saints would waive Thomas to save $2.9MM against the salary cap in 2014. Instead, it sounds like the two sides have compromised on a new dollar figure that will give New Orleans some extra breathing room this season. New Orleans needs to shave every dollar that they can after signing top safety Jairus Byrd to a six-year, $54MM deal with $28MM guaranteed.
Last season, Thomas rushed for just 549 yards off of 147 yards, resulting in a 3.7 yards per game average, his lowest in any full NFL season. The Saints are expected to say goodbye to Darren Sproles either by release or trade, so the new deal for Thomas will give them some extra stability in the backfield.