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New Orleans Saints News & Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/3/20

August 3rd, 2020 at 3:04pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here. For the running list of opt out decisions, check out PFR’s 2020 Opt Out Tracker.

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

  • Released: QB Jalen Morton, FB Elijah Wellman

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

  • Claimed off waivers (from Colts): CB Picasso Nelson

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/2/20

August 2nd, 2020 at 3:39pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

New York Giants

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

Saints, Nigel Bradham Agree To Deal

July 30th, 2020 at 5:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Nigel Bradham will land with a different NFC contender. The longtime Eagles linebacker reached an agreement on a one-year deal with the Saints, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

The Eagles cut Bradham earlier this year. The ninth-year ‘backer will resurface in New Orleans, joining former Philadelphia teammate Malcolm Jenkins.

New Orleans houses a surefire three-down player in Demario Davis, who has been one of the best off-ball linebackers in recent years. Picked a round later in 2012 (in Round 4), Bradham was the Eagles’ steadiest linebacker since he signed with Philly in 2016. The former Bills draftee will add experience to a Saints second-level corps that has ex-Bradham Bills teammate Kiko Alonso recovering from an ACL tear.

Bradham, 31 in September, played at least 900 defensive snaps from 2016-18 but logged 717 last year. He battled an ankle injury in 2019. He graded as a top-35 linebacker, per Pro Football Focus, in three of his four seasons in Philly — including the Eagles’ 2017 Super Bowl slate.

New Orleans lost A.J. Klein in free agency but used a third-round pick on Wisconsin’s Zack Baun, who worked as both an off-ball defender and a pass rusher for the Big Ten program.

The three-time reigning NFC South champions have been active on the market this offseason, with Bradham following Jenkins, Emmanuel Sanders and Jameis Winston to Louisiana. With Drew Brees on a year-to-year plan regarding retirement, maximizing his final snaps makes sense for a team that has endured some brutal endings to its past three seasons.

NFC Notes: Barrett, Gregory, Washington

July 14th, 2020 at 6:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Buccaneers look to be one of the many teams set to carry a franchise tag number on their payroll this season. Shaquil Barrett and the Bucs were believed to be far apart on terms over the weekend, and the breakout pass rusher expects to play this season on the tag.

“I would love to get a deal done. I know they would love to get a deal done. But just the situation of the world right now is making it hard to get a deal done,” Barrett said during an NFL Network appearance (via NFL.com). “So if we get one done, I’m going to be happy. But if not, I’m still happy to be down here for another year and potentially to get a deal done in the future once we do figure out how the season’s going to go and how next year possibly will be.

“I still have some hope for it, but I’m more optimistic for the one-year to get done over a long-term deal.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has clouded the NFL financial picture. Although some teams have come to extension agreements, most franchises have held off. Of the 15 players who received the franchise tag this year, only one (Chris Jones) has reached an extension agreement. With Barrett upping his single-season sack career high from 5.5 to a Bucs-record 19.5, he profiled as a possible “prove it” player. It looks like the sides will huddle up again after the season.

Here is the latest from the NFC:

  • After firing multiple front office execs last week, Washington added some staffers. The team will hire Eric Stokes as its director of pro scouting, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Washington is also adding longtime scout Don Warren to be its assistant director of pro personnel, Joe Person of The Athletic tweets. Both will come to Washington after years with Carolina, following Ron Rivera in that regard. For Warren, this will be a reunion. He won three Super Bowls with Washington as a tight end and previously served as a scout with the franchise from 2005-09.
  • The Cowboys refuse to give up on Randy Gregory. Despite the Cowboys losing hope he will be reinstated in time for this season, they would like to have the suspended defensive end back in a non-playing capacity for the time being, Todd Archer of ESPN.com notes. Gregory has been suspended four times since entering the league. He has not played since the 2018 season.
  • The Saints should be expected to sign a tackle at some point before the season, Katherine Terrell of The Athletic writes (subscription required). New Orleans has entrenched starters Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk and added ex-Ravens starter/swingman James Hurst this offseason. But the Saints have been proponents of O-line fortification, so it would not be especially surprising to see them further bolster the group. That said, Hurst and interior lineman Nick Easton qualify as solid backups.
  • Perhaps following the Saints’ lead, the Cardinals had former CFL quarterback Chris Streveler sit in on their special teams meetings during the virtual offseason period, Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com notes. While the Cardinals communicated to the Grey Cup-winning quarterback he will not change positions upon moving south, a Taysom Hill-type role may be how Streveler makes the team. Brett Hundley and former UDFA Drew Anderson are the other QBs on Arizona’s roster.

Jameis Winston To Change Agents

July 13th, 2020 at 5:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

Changing teams for the first time in his career this offseason, Jameis Winston took a one-year, $1.1MM offer from the Saints. If the Saints approach their QB2 about an extension, they will have to discuss that deal with a new agent.

Winston will switch agencies, informing Joel Segal he will no longer represent him, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). Segal is the CEO of Lagardère Sports.

The former No. 1 overall pick hired Segal in 2018, just after his suspension ended. Winston found himself in a rare buyer’s market at quarterback this offseason, with the Buccaneers ditching him for Tom Brady. The Panthers and Colts went in other directions as well, giving their starting jobs to UFA additions Teddy Bridgewater and Philip Rivers. This left Winston in the same boat as Cam Newton and Andy Dalton, though unlike those passers, the five-year Bucs starter was healthy and available since free agency’s outset.

Winston, however, chose to succeed Bridgewater as Drew Brees‘ backup and declined more lucrative offers to do so. Similar to Newton’s Patriots deal, Winston’s Saints agreement includes $3.4MM in available incentives. The Saints now have exclusive negotiating rights regarding a Winston extension until the start of the 2021 legal tampering period. Given Brees’ age, Winston looms as a possible successor option. The Saints, though, do have Taysom Hill signed beyond this season.

Jadeveon Clowney Eyeing Cowboys, Saints?

June 29th, 2020 at 11:20am CST by Zachary Links

Jadeveon Clowney would be equally happy to join a contender on a one-year deal or a middling club on a multi-year deal, Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network hears. Specifically, he’d like to land with one of two contenders – the Cowboys or the Saints.

[RELATED: Clowney’s Best Multi-Year Offer Came From Browns]

It’s not clear whether the Saints or Cowboys have reciprocated that interest. The three-time Pro Bowler would represent a classic Jerry Jones splash, but they already have $20MM/year committed to DeMarcus Lawrence. The Saints are also short on cap space, and they don’t necessarily need Clowney. With Cameron Jordan, Marcus Davenport, and Trey Hendrickson on the edge, there’s little reason for the Saints to shell out the kind of money that Clowney is seeking.

The Browns put a multi-year offer on the table for Clowney, one that is believed to be in the range of $12MM/year. The Browns are reportedly willing to move their offer up to somewhere around $15MM/year, but that’s still a step back from the ~$17MM Clowney was looking for in March. Reading between the lines, it sounds like a winning club could have Clowney on a one-year deal worth roughly $15MM, but that’s likely too rich for his two preferred teams.

Last year, Clowney registered just three sacks with the Seahawks. That was the lowest healthy-season total of his pro career.

Saints Rumors: Gardner-Johnson, Jenkins

June 9th, 2020 at 5:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Saints didn’t hold any sort of offseason program (not even a virtual session), and the club doesn’t plan to get together again until training camp. Speaking on a conference call with reporters, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said New Orleans coaches will continue to work from home and won’t convene until training camp begins, according to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. The NFL is now allowing teams to have coaches inside facilities, but the Saints won’t take advantage of that league decision.

Here’s more on the Saints:

  • Second-year New Orleans safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson will spend a “good amount of time” covering the slot in 2020, as Saints defensive backs coach Aaron Glenn tells Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football (Twitter link). A fourth-round pick out of Florida, Gardner-Johnson played 807 snaps during his rookie campaign, with 290 of those reps coming in the slot. Those slot snaps were second on the club to only cornerback P.J. Williams, who remains on the roster but could potentially see a reduced role. Pro Football Focus graded Gardner-Johnson as the No. 37 safety among 99 qualifiers in 2020.
  • Including the postseason, veteran cornerback Janoris Jenkins played in only 3 games with the Saints in 2019 after being acquired off waivers from the Giants. But that was enough time for New Orleans to decide to retain him. “Certainly there’s an overall body of work that you utilize to try to form opinions about what a guy can do or can’t do,” Allen tells Luke Johnson of NOLA.com. “But there’s nothing like the experience of having a guy in your building. I can tell you just from my experience with him in that brief period of time.” In March, Jenkins agreed to an extension that will keep him with the Saints through 2022.
  • In case you missed it, the Saints had interest in signing Tom Brady had Drew Brees opted to retire.

Mutual Interest Existed Between Saints, Tom Brady?

June 4th, 2020 at 3:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

An interesting what-if during an offseason featuring the highest-profile quarterback movement since free agency opened 27 years ago: Tom Brady was interested in the Saints this year. The Saints were also interested, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (on Twitter).

However, both sides’ curiosity hinged on Drew Brees heading into retirement, which he did not. The Saints re-upped their all-time great for the same figures — two years, $50MM — Brady eventually received from the Buccaneers. However, Brees’ deal includes only $25MM fully guaranteed; the Bucs guaranteed Brady all $50MM.

New Orleans’ Brees transaction occurred hours before Brady’s Bucs commitment, but the former had already declared he would return for a 20th season. And Brees said earlier in the offseason he would play for the Saints or no one.

Brady’s interest level in the Saints was believed to be “very serious,” per La Canfora. This adds a layer to a complex Saints QB offseason, one that saw them re-sign Brees, replace Teddy Bridgewater with Jameis Winston and extend gadget player/possible Brees successor Taysom Hill. Brady would have been surrounded by weapons in New Orleans, but he now has an enviable arrangement in Tampa.

This isn’t necessarily surprising. Brady was connected to a number of teams this offseason, before his sweepstakes narrowed to the Bucs and Chargers. The Bay Area native was believed to be interested in joining the 49ers, who investigated the possibility. Brees’ return cut off anything notable between Brady and the Saints.

Brees, 41, and Brady, 43 in August, will instead face off twice this season in what promise to be two of the highest-profile divisional QB matchups in NFL history. Despite playing in 10 fewer games (285-275), Brees has a 3,000-plus-yard edge on his new rival and is six TD passes up on the ex-Patriot legend (547-541). Brady, of course, has a 6-1 Super Bowl edge here. The Bucs and Saints are scheduled to play in Weeks 1 and 9.

Panthers Deny Wrongdoing In Tommy Stevens Pursuit

June 1st, 2020 at 1:21pm CST by Zachary Links

Last month, seventh-round pick Tommy Stevens found himself in the headlines after a strange tug-of-war between the Saints and Panthers. The Saints, after trading away their entire Day 3 haul, hoped to sign the Mississippi State quarterback as an undrafted free agent. The Saints and Panthers reportedly wound up in a bidding war for him before the conclusion of the draft, prompting Sean Payton to trade back into the draft to nab Stevens at No. 240 overall. 

It seems that both teams violated league rules which allow for teams to chat with potential UDFAs before the draft is over, but forbid actual negotiations. For his part, Panthers GM Marty Hurney says he did not do anything “out of bounds”.

“That’s not — what we did is we did have several conversations with Tommy before the draft. He had history with [offensive coordinator] Joe Brady (at Penn State). We thought that if we didn’t have a chance to draft him that he was one of the guys on our list. But it didn’t go any further than that,” Hurney said (via Joe Person of The Athletic).

The league may or may not agree after completing an investigation into the matter. If the Saints and/or Panthers are found to have violated league rules, they could be penalized with fines or the forfeiture of future draft picks.

Contract Details: 5/29/20

May 29th, 2020 at 11:23am CST by Rory Parks

Here are the details on a few recently-signed contracts:

  • Eli Apple, CB (Panthers): One year. $3MM, including $750K signing bonus. Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
  • Anthony Chickillo, LB (Saints): One year. Veteran salary benefit. $1.047MM base salary ($68,750 guaranteed). Twitter link via Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football.
  • Carlos Hyde, RB (Seahawks): One year, max value of $4MM. $1.5MM base salary, $750K signing bonus, $500K in per game roster bonuses. Up to $1.25MM in incentives. Twitter link via Rapoport.
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