TUESDAY, 12:15pm: The Saints have officially signed Goodwin, the club announced today in a press release
MONDAY, 2:23pm: It’s expected to be a one-year deal for Goodwin, according to Triplett (via Twitter). Salary details aren’t yet known, but I’d be surprised if it’s worth a whole lot more than the minimum.
1:24pm: The Saints and Goodwin have agreed to terms on a deal, reports Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (via Twitter). According to Triplett, the center will likely put pen to paper on Tuesday.
12:49pm: After spending three years in San Francisco, veteran center Jonathan Goodwin appears to be headed back to the team with whom he earned a Pro Bowl berth in 2009. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Goodwin is expected to sign with the Saints at some point this week. Katherine Terrell of the Times-Picayune adds that nothing’s set in stone yet, but that the two sides are discussing a deal today.
Goodwin will turn 36 in December, which prompted the Niners to hand the starting center reins to the younger Daniel Kilgore going forward, but the 12-year veteran has remained effective into his mid-30s. Goodwin hasn’t missed a game over the last five seasons, and produced at an above-average level in 2013, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), buoyed by solid grades as a run blocker.
The Saints saw last year’s starting center, Brian De La Puente, depart in free agency, and didn’t address the position during the draft, so it wasn’t clear which player would get the nod heading into the regular season. Assuming Goodwin is healthy and productive in training camp, he would seem to be the odds-on favorite for the starting role. He figures to compete with Tim Lelito, who has been taking snaps with the first team during New Orleans’ OTAs.