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New Orleans Saints News & Rumors

Eagles To Interview Dennis Allen For HC

January 19th, 2021 at 1:52pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

After missing out on the initial round of top candidates, the Eagles are taking their time with their search to replace Doug Pederson. Since they’re one of only two openings left, along with the Texans, there isn’t too much of a rush as they sift through the secondary candidates.

Philly has a new name on their list now, as the team will interview Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen for their vacancy tomorrow, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets. Allen has gotten some faint hints of buzz the past couple years, but hasn’t been a real known candidate in any recent cycle. Of course, Allen was the Raiders’ head coach for three seasons from 2012-14.

Like many Raiders coaches of the era, his tenure didn’t go too well, and he was fired after an 0-4 start in 2014. Overall, his record was 8-28 as a head coach. Obviously that record doesn’t inspire much confidence, but he’s done a great job rehabilitating his reputation in New Orleans since landing on Sean Payton’s staff in 2015.

The Saints often had one of the worst defenses in the league before Allen’s arrival, and he stabilized the unit and turned them into an elite group the past few years. New Orleans ranked fourth in total defense in 2020.

The Eagles have already been linked to a slew of coaches, and we heard just yesterday that Patriots OC Josh McDaniels is a “prime candidate for the job.” Clearly, Philadelphia GM Howie Roseman is being quite thorough.

Saints’ Michael Thomas To Have Ankle Surgery

January 19th, 2021 at 10:31am CST by Zachary Links

Michael Thomas is expected to undergo multiple ankle surgeries, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The wide receiver played through the pain down the stretch, hoping to help Drew Brees capture another ring.

Thomas suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 1 and was limited to just seven games in 2020. Later on, the Saints handed Thomas a one-game suspension for striking a teammate. Then, he missed time with a hamstring injury. This year was a bit of a mess for Thomas, who finished out the regular season with just 40 catches for 438 yards. He did manage to catch five passes for 73 yards and one score in the Saints’ playoff win over the Bears, however.

Entering 2020, Thomas had missed just two contests in his pro career. He was also in much better standing with the Saints, who reportedly considered trading him before the fall deadline.

Thomas inked a massive five-year, $100MM extension with the Saints in July of 2019. At the time of signing, that deal made him the highest-paid receiver in league history. At this point, parting ways with Thomas would leave the Saints with a major dead cap charge — they can ill afford that, given the dead money that would come with a Brees retirement.

Assuming Thomas comes back at 100% health, the Saints’ best bet would be to stay the course with him. Besides, Thomas remains one of the league’s most dangerous offensive weapons.

Updated 2021 NFL Draft Order

January 18th, 2021 at 11:08am CST by Zachary Links

With the Divisional Round in the books, the 2021 NFL Draft order is mostly complete. The Rams, Browns, Ravens, and Saints now have their draft spots locked in, though the Rams’ first-round pick belongs to Urban Meyer and the Jaguars. The Rams traded those rights to Jacksonville as a part of the Jalen Ramsey blockbuster.

Here’s the updated draft order, through the top 28:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars
2. New York Jets
3. Miami Dolphins (via Texans)
4. Atlanta Falcons
5. Cincinnati Bengals
6. Philadelphia Eagles
7. Detroit Lions
8. Carolina Panthers
9. Denver Broncos
10. Dallas Cowboys
11. New York Giants
12. San Francisco 49ers
13. Los Angeles Chargers
14. Minnesota Vikings
15. New England Patriots
16. Arizona Cardinals
17. Las Vegas Raiders
18. Miami Dolphins
19. Washington Football Team
20. Chicago Bears
21. Indianapolis Colts
22. Tennessee Titans
23. New York Jets (via Seahawks)
24. Pittsburgh Steelers
25. Jacksonville Jaguars (via Rams)
26. Cleveland Browns
27. Baltimore Ravens
28. New Orleans Saints

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/18/21

January 18th, 2021 at 10:58am CST by Zachary Links

The latest p-squad moves:

Kansas City Chiefs

New Orleans Saints

Drew Brees To Retire After Postseason

January 17th, 2021 at 5:54pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It’s been rumored for a while, but it’s inching closer to being official now. Saints quarterback Drew Brees will indeed retire whenever New Orleans’ season is over, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reports (Twitter video link).

That means that no matter what, tonight will be Brees’ last game at the Superdome, as the Saints will be going on the road to Green Bay next if they win. This is in line with what we heard earlier this weekend, when it was reported that those close to the veteran signal-caller believed he’d hang up his cleats. He could always reverse course, but it looks like this is really the end of the line for 42-year-old.

If that’s the case, it’ll wrap up one of the most illustrious careers in NFL history, with Brees’ name going down all over the record books. He currently has the most yards in league history, and the second-most touchdowns behind Tom Brady. Brees signed a deal with NBC Sports last April, so he’s already got his post-playing career lined up.

There’s been speculation for a couple years now that Brees was nearing the end, and he’s missed significant time with health issues in each of the past two seasons. The moment it’s official, all eyes will immediately turn to what New Orleans will do to replace the man who has been the starter since the 2006 season.

Taysom Hill is the only other passer currently on the roster, although that same report from earlier this weekend indicated they’d like to re-sign Jameis Winston, who is set to be a free agent. Hill was up and down during his stretch as the team’s starter this year while Brees missed time with a rib injury.

Reports have indicated in the past that Sean Payton views Hill as the team’s starter of the future, although it’s unclear if he still feels that way after getting a closer look at him under center in 2020. We’ll have a much longer and more sentimental post on Brees’ retirement whenever the Purdue product and Super Bowl XLIV champ confirms the news himself.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/16/21

January 16th, 2021 at 3:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the minor moves from divisional-round Saturday:

Cleveland Browns

Kansas City Chiefs

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Latest On Drew Brees’ Future

January 16th, 2021 at 12:51pm CST by Ben Levine

While Drew Brees has been quiet about his future, those close to him believe he’ll hang up his cleats following the season. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport relays that “everybody believes that [Brees] will retire at the end of this season” (Twitter link). The 42-year-old is “hoping for one last run through the playoffs…hoping to end his career on the podium holding a big trophy.”

While we’ve yet to hear anything definitive about the future Hall of Fame’s status going forward, the writing has been on the wall for a while. Brees inked a deal with NBC Sports last April, signaling his post-playing career. The organization also agreed to an extension with Taysom Hill this offseason, keeping their backup QB under club control through 2021. Predictably, GM Mickey Loomis recently said that Brees would be welcomed back if he wanted to continue playing beyond this season, but the executive also revealed that no final decision has been made.

The Saints got a glimpse of what a post-Brees team could look like in 2020. The veteran missed four games, with Hill going 3-1 in his stead. While Hill is better known for his versatile skill set (he finished the season with 555 yards from scrimmage and nine rushing and receiving touchdowns), he showed that he’s capable under center. The 30-year-old finished the season having completed 72.7-percent of his passes for 928 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions.

It sounds like the Saints are also interested in retaining the third quarterback on their roster. Rapoport reports that the organization would like to re-sign Jameis Winston, noting that the Saints “love what they’ve seen in practice.” While the team has touted Winston’s arm strength and work ethic, they’re still (predictably) wary of his tendency of interception. The former first-overall pick got into four games this season, completing seven of his 11 pass attempts for 75 yards.

2021 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

January 15th, 2021 at 1:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

Exiting the regular season, six teams are searching for new head coaches. That number is up from last season but not quite as high as 2019, though there may well be more vacancies that emerge during the playoffs.

Listed below are the head coaching candidates that have been linked to each of the teams with vacancies, along with their current status. If and when other teams decide to make head coaching changes, they’ll be added to this list. Here is the current breakdown:

Updated 1-27-21 (7:05pm CT)

Atlanta Falcons

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Falcons To Hire Terry Fontenot?

January 14th, 2021 at 9:47am CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons have identified Terry Fontenot as their top choice to be their next GM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). New Orleans’ assistant GM for pro personnel could be anointed as soon as the Saints’ season ends. For Fontenot, that could be as soon as Monday, though he’ll be rooting for a February signing.

[RELATED: Falcons Have Second Interview With Arthur Smith]

Fontenot was said to be a finalist for the job, along with Rams college scouting director Brad Holmes. Colts college scouting director Morocco Brown, Bills exec Joe Schoen, and former Texans GM Rick Smith were considered, along with internal candidate Anthony Robinson.

To date, Fontenot has spent his entire 18-year career with the Saints. After seven seasons as a pro scout, seven seasons as director of pro scouting, and four years in his current role, he’ll run his own front office in the same division.

Saints WR Tre’Quan Smith Returns To Practice

January 13th, 2021 at 5:39pm CST by Ben Levine

The Saints’ receiving corps could be at full health this weekend against the Buccaneers. The team designated wideout Tre’Quan Smith to return to practice, per the league’s transactions report.

Smith had spent the past three weeks on the injured reserve as he nursed an ankle injury. When he last appeared in Week 15, the Saints were welcoming back quarterback Drew Brees, although they were missing wideouts Michael Thomas, Marquez Callaway, and Deonte Harris. Assuming Smith is good to go for this weekend, New Orleans should have their full arsenal of wideouts (a grouping that also includes Emmanuel Sanders) on Sunday against Tampa Bay.

Smith, a former third-round pick, was having a career year before he was sidelined by his injury. In 14 games (10 starts), the 25-year-old hauled in 34 receptions for 448 yards and four scores.

While the Saints seem to be getting healthy at receiver, they may be dealing with some issues at running back. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that running back Latavius Murray is considered day-to-day with a quad injury. While the veteran is hoping to play this weekend, Rapoport describes his status as “up in the air.” If the 30-year-old can’t go this weekend, the team will likely turn to Dwayne Washington or Ty Montgomery as Alvin Kamara‘s backups.

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