HEADLINES

New Orleans Saints News & Rumors

Saints Re-Sign Craig Robertson

March 11th, 2019 at 3:04pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are keeping linebacker Craig Robertson, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). He’ll return on a two-year deal worth more than $4MM.

Like safety Chris Banjo, Robertson is a key special teams player for New Orleans. Banjo himself received a new deal from the Saints this week, a three-year extension worth $9MM.

Robertson was not believed to be a priority for the Saints heading into this week, but they still found the room to keep him on an inexpensive deal. Moving forward, the Saints’ top priorities are expected to be at tight end, defensive tackle, and backup quarterback.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/9/19

March 9th, 2019 at 8:33pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Here are today’s minor moves:

New Orleans Saints

The Saints gave Banjo a three-year extension, which Ian Rapoport tweets is worth up to $9MM. However, Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com hears the $9MM figure “might not be completely accurate” (Twitter link). Banjo doesn’t play much on defense, he played just 5% of the team’s defensive snaps on defense, but he’s a key contributor on special teams. Banjo was an undrafted free agent in 2013, and spent the first three-plus years of his career with the Packers. He’s been with the Saints since mid-2016.

No Hard Deadline For Antonio Brown Trade?

March 7th, 2019 at 9:37pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Although previous reports have indicated the Steelers were planning to trade Antonio Brown by Friday, the club does not have a solid deadline in place to deal its superstar wideout, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link), who adds the Steelers are still discussing Brown with multiple clubs.

As of Thursday afternoon, no team was considered the favorite to land Brown, reports Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who also disputed that Pittsburgh is demanding a first-round pick in talks. However, a number of clubs may have begun to drop out of the running. The Redskins, Saints, Titans are all thought to be out on Brown, according to Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Tennessee “seriously contemplated” a trade for Brown, per Paul Kuharsky of PaulKuharsky.com, but it doesn’t appear the Titans will land him.

Reading between the lines, it’s entirely possible the Steelers aren’t receiving offers they deem acceptable. A number of teams have been mentioned as possible suitors for Brown, but given that no favorite has emerged, it’s fair to wonder if Pittsburgh will need to lower its sights. The Steelers are motivated to move Brown before March 17, when he’s due a $2.5MM roster bonus.

John Kuhn Announces Retirement

March 6th, 2019 at 8:02pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Longtime NFL fullback John Kuhn has retired as a member of the Packers, Green Bay announced today.

“John was a terrific football player and tremendous teammate who contributed to many years of success for the Packers,” Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst said. “He was a true professional whose work ethic and leadership set a great example both on the field and in the locker room. We want to thank John and his family for all they did for the Packers and in the community as well as wish them nothing but the best.”

While he’s best known as a member of the Packers, Kuhn actually began his career with the Steelers after going undrafted in 2005. He appeared in nine games with Pittsburgh (all in 2006) and won a Super Bowl before joining Green Bay in 2007. Kuhn went on to spend the next nine years with the Packers, earning another Super Bowl title in the process. All told, Kuhn handled 196 carries for Green Bay, scoring 24 total touchdowns while collecting three Pro Bowl nods, one first-team All-Pro selection, and one second-team All-Pro berth.

Kuhn signed with the Saints in advance of the 2016 campaign and wound up spending parts of two seasons with the club, appearing in 18 games over that span. He didn’t play in the NFL in 2018, though he did express interest in doing so. PFR extends its best wishes to Kuhn as he enters retirement.

Saints Notes: Ingram, Receivers, Brown

March 4th, 2019 at 9:34pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Saints have had a relatively quiet offseason ever since their season ended in devastating fashion in the NFC Championship game. That’s about to change though, as they have several big decisions to make in the coming days and weeks. Mark Ingram is set to be a free agent, and there’s been a lot of talk that the Saints might move on and choose to give Alvin Kamara more of a featured role. Ingram “wants nothing more than to strike a deal to stay in New Orleans,” writes Larry Holder of The Athletic. Holder also writes that head coach Sean Payton wants to keep him around. Holder points out that Ingram doesn’t have the typical wear and tear a 30-year-old running back usually has, because he’s usually split time in whatever backfield the Saints have put together throughout his career.

The Saints also lacked consistent options in the passing game beyond Michael Thomas last year, and could be looking to add a receiver. Sources told Holder that “Someone like Adam Humphries intrigues the Saints.” Holder thinks Humphries might get priced out of their range though, and that New Orleans might end up turning to the draft to add receiver help. Multiple sources also told Holder the Saints aren’t interested in adding Antonio Brown.

Jason La Canfora On Brown, Steelers, Eagles

March 4th, 2019 at 6:24pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFL’s collective bargaining agreement is set to expire in two years, but Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com gets the sense than an extension will be struck before its expiration, which would mean no strike or lockout. One high-ranking league source tells JLC that a deal could even be reached prior to the start of the 2020 season, though an NFLPA source cautioned that things are still in their infancy.

Here’s more from JLC:

  • The Raiders and Eagles are the team’s to keep an eye on in the sweepstakes for Steelers star Antonio Brown, JLC hears. The Titans, he says, have nothing going on with the Steelers right now and the Redskins’ front office is divided on AB, even as owner Dan Snyder pushes for a deal. The Saints and Seahawks also discussed AB internally, but don’t appear to be moving forward with the pursuit.
  • Talent evaluators tell JLC that they are iffy on the talent of this year’s wide receiver class. “You might as well trade for AB or OBJ, because this is a bad draft for receivers,” one exec said. “I don’t care who ran what, this is not a good group.” JLC asked that particular exec about extraordinary athlete D.K. Metcalf as well, but he was not impressed by his fluidity or natural catching ability.

Saints Hire New Special Teams Assistant

March 2nd, 2019 at 7:22pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg
  • The Saints are hiring former NFL linebacker Michael Wilhoite to their coaching staff, according to Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com. Wilhoite will be a special teams assistant in New Orleans. Wilhoite played six seasons in the NFL from ’12-17, spending time with the 49ers and Seahawks.

Raiders, Redskins, Titans Have Shown “Most Interest” In WR Antonio Brown

March 2nd, 2019 at 8:37am CST by Ben Levine

While plenty of teams will surely express interest in Steelers receiver Antonio Brown, it sounds like a handful of teams have been particularly aggressive. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that three teams have “shown the most interest” in the wideout: the Raiders, the Redskins, and the Titans.

It’s not too surprising that these three teams are seemingly emerging from the pack, as they all struggled with wide receiver production in 2018. In fact, as ESPN’s Field Yates tweets, the Titans (seven), Redskins (eight), and Raiders (nine) were all in the bottom-three for touchdowns by receivers last season. For comparison’s sake, Brown finished the campaign with a league-leading 15 touchdown receptions.

It’s been almost a month since Brown requested a trade from the Steelers, but few teams have definitively been connected to the receiver. We heard earlier this week that the Jets were considering making a move for the veteran, although they had yet to reach out to Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, Michael Silver of Sports Illustrated tweets that we should “keep an eye” on the Saints during this sweepstakes, and several other reporters have backed his sentiment.

We also heard about the Raiders interest in the receiver yesterday. The organization is a natural fit due to their need for talent and their draft capital, but our own Zach Links noted that the Steelers would be unlikely to pry away the fourth-overall pick. Instead, the Raiders’ pair of late first-rounders could be in play. Half of the Raiders receivers depth chart is set to hit some form of free agency, and the team will presumably be looking for an upgrade on Jordy Nelson as their top receiver.

It sounds like Redskins coach Jay Gruden will be battling with his brother to acquire the star receiver. With Alex Smith‘s future in doubt, the organization will also presumably be seeking another quarterback to compete with Colt McCoy. You could assume that Brown’s presence in Washington would improve their chances of attracting one of the top free agent signal-callers.

The Titans have struggled to surround Marcus Mariota with elite weapons during his brief career, although former first-rounder Corey Davis did take a major step forward last season. Adding Brown to the picture would surely improve the team’s chances of returning to the postseason.

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