Wide receiver Willie Snead is attending Saints offseason workouts despite not technically being under contract, reports Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com. Snead hasn’t yet signed his exclusive rights free agent tender, and is discussing a “more lucrative” deal with New Orleans, per Katzenstein.
As an exclusive rights free agent, Snead essentially has no other options than to sign his tender and play for the Saints in 2017. That tender will pay him at or near the minimum salary level, but New Orleans could conceivably reward him for his play by upping his salary. The Saints are under no obligation to do so, however, and such a move would simply be a show of good will. Snead is also eligible for a multi-year extension after only two NFL seasons given that he was originally an undrafted free agent.
Snead, 24, has been a revelation for the Saints since entering the league out of Ball State in 2015. In two seasons in New Orleans, Snead has averaged 70 receptions for 940 yards and four touchdowns. He’ll return as one of the Saints’ top receivers in 2017 alongside Michael Thomas, filling the void left by the Brandin Cooks trade.
Without an extension, Snead will become a restricted free agent in 2018 and an unrestricted free agent in 2019.
Michael Thomas the safety?