HEADLINES

New Orleans Saints News & Rumors

Teams Eyeing Trades For Patriots/Saints CBs?

August 7th, 2019 at 3:40pm CST by Dallas Robinson

A number of teams are potentially interested in trading for a cornerback, according to Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com, and some clubs view the Patriots and Saints as teams that might be willing to deal away a defensive back.

Breer’s report is sparse on details, as we don’t know what teams might potentially inquire on New England or New Orleans’ corners, or what they might might be willing to give up in return. But it’s still worth examining each club’s defensive back depth chart to see what players might be considered spare parts.

In New England, first-team All-Pro Stephon Gilmore, recently re-signed veteran Jason McCourty, and 2018 undrafted free agent J.C. Jackson almost certainly aren’t going anywhere. The same goes for 2018 second-round pick Duke Dawson, who missed his entire rookie campaign, and 2019 second-rounder Joejuan Williams.

One name does stand out on the Patriots’ stacked depth chart as potential trade bait, however, is fourth-year pro Jonathan Jones. An undrafted free agent in 2016, Jones has played between 40-50% of New England’s defensive snaps in each of the past two seasons. As a restricted free agent, he’s signed through 2019 on a non-guaranteed salary of $3.095MM. Given the Patriots’ depth at corner and Jones’ expiring contract, he’d make sense as a potential trade target.

The Saints also have several corners who almost assuredly won’t be going anywhere, including starters Marshon Lattimore, Eli Apple, and Patrick Robinson. But P.J. Williams and Ken Crawley are both entering contract years and have significant experience under their belts (67% playtime for Williams in 2018, 40% for Crawley). Even veteran Kayvon Webster, who signed a one-year deal with the Saints in June, could potentially be on the table if rival teams are desperate for corners.

Saints To Sign TE A.J. Derby

August 7th, 2019 at 10:17am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Saints are expected to sign free agent tight end A.J. Derby, according to Herbie Teope of The Advocate (Twitter link). Offensive lineman Nate Wozniak will be waived in a corresponding move.

New Orleans currently has six tight ends on its roster, but two of them — Garrett Griffin and Alize Mack — are dealing with injuries, so the club is aiming to add a bit more depth by bringing Derby onto the roster. Veteran Jared Cook, who inked a two-year, $15MM contract with the Saints during the offseason, will be the team’s starter, but Josh Hill should still see a relatively large role after playing on more than 60% of New Orleans’ offensive snaps in 2018.

Derby, 27, has bounced around the NFL since entering the league as a Patriots sixth-round pick in 2015. The Arkansas product’s most significant action came in 2017, when he racked up 21 catches on 40 targets while splitting time between the Broncos and Dolphins. Last season, Derby appeared in four games and managed three receptions for Miami before being placed on injured reserve in December.

Saints Sign RB Jacquizz Rodgers, Waive RB Rob Kelley

August 3rd, 2019 at 11:49am CST by Ben Levine

The Saints have swapped one veteran running back for another. Coach Sean Payton announced today that the team has signed Jacquizz Rodgers and waived Rob Kelley (via The Athletic’s Larry Holder on Twitter).

Rodgers, 29, spent the past three seasons with the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay used him as more of a traditional running back during his first two seasons with the team, including a 2016 campaign where he ran for 560 yards. In 2018, the veteran found some of the pass-catching prowess that he had displayed during his early-career stint with the Falcons. Rodgers ultimately finished last season with 38 receptions, which was his highest total since 2013.

After losing Mark Ingram in free agency, the Saints have been looking for another running back to pair with Alvin Kamara. Latavius Murray should have the first crack at the job, but if he struggles, Rodgers could easily take on a bigger role (although he’s not necessarily a complement to Kamara). The Saints are also rostering Dwayne Washington, Devine Ozigbo, and Matt Dayes.

Kelley averaged 4.2 yards per carry as a rookie in 2016, but he hasn’t shown anything close to that since. The 26-year-old only suited up for two games with the Redskins last year thanks to a toe injury, and there’s always been some questions about his weight. Still, considering his age, it wouldn’t be shocking if Kelley found another NFL opportunity.

Details On Michael Thomas' Extension

August 2nd, 2019 at 9:41pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Soon after Michael Thomas received his five-year, $100MM extension from the Saints, we heard that it wasn’t quite $100MM in reality. The base of the deal is $96.25MM, with incentives in the final couple of years that will be very hard to reach which could bump it up to $100MM. Now we have full details on the contract, courtesy of Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. Florio has a year by year breakdown off all the incentives and bonuses Thomas will get. To reach the full value of $100MM, Thomas “needs to do each of the following in 2022 and 2023: Catch 100 passes, gain 1,400 yards, score 12 touchdowns, and get to the playoffs.”

Florio notes that the fully guaranteed portion of the deal is $35.64MM, “covering the first two years and a slice of 2021.” He seems to think the Saints aren’t actually tied to Thomas for too long if they don’t want to be, writing “the rolling guarantees give the Saints plenty of flexibility beyond 2020.” Thomas has put up absurd numbers in his first three years in the league, and he was the only consistent receiver New Orleans had for a lot of last season. Drew Brees was often throwing to a rotating cast of undrafted free agents and castoffs last year, so it’s safe to say they need Thomas.

  • Receiver Cameron Meredith landed on his feet as he signed with the Patriots earlier today, but he apparently isn’t fully healthy. New England placed him on the active/PUP list after inking him, per Doug Kyed of NESN.com. Meredith had a breakout 2016 campaign but then missed the entire 2017 season with a devastating knee injury and hasn’t been the same since. The Saints finally gave up on him and released him earlier this week after he was never able to fully recover during his time in New Orleans. Since it’s the active/PUP list and not the reserve/PUP list, Meredith could be activated at any time and resume practicing. He isn’t the only Patriots receiver that’s banged up, as the Pats are also waiting on Demaryius Thomas and Julian Edelman to heal up.

More Minor NFL Transactions: 8/1/19

August 1st, 2019 at 7:56pm CST by Dallas Robinson

We’ve already posted one round of minor transactions, but NFL clubs keep making moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

Fallout From Michael Thomas’ Deal With Saints

July 31st, 2019 at 2:09pm CST by Zachary Links

On Wednesday, Michael Thomas and the Saints agreed to a deal that will keep the standout wide receiver in the fold through the 2024 season. The contract was initially reported to be worth $100MM over five years, but those numbers don’t quite tell the whole story.

Here’s the latest on Thomas’ shiny new pact:

  • Thomas extension has a base value of $19.25MM per year, Mike Florio of PFT tweets. He can get to $20MM per year – giving him the initial reported value of $100MM in total, but as Florio’s source puts it, “He has to do some crazy sh-t in the last two years of the deal.”
  • Thomas’ new contract is the first real movement at the wide receiver position since A.J. Green‘s 2015 extension, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap tweets. The yearly record set by Green’s deal has been broken multiple times in the last four years, but this is the first contract to truly top its $20MM in inflated annual value.
  • The Thomas deal will play well in the Saints’ locker room, Jeff Duncan of the The Athletic tweets. The team’s core of young stars – including Alvin Kamara, Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramczyk, and Sheldon Rankins – will know they’ll be taken care of if they continue to produce.
  • The holdout-ending deal was the smart move by the Saints, NJ.com’s Darryl Slater opines. The monster numbers could come back to haunt them, but Slater’s feeling is that it was worthwhile to end Thomas’ holdout, especially considering the fact that Drew Brees has a limited championship window.

Saints, Michael Thomas Agree To Deal

July 31st, 2019 at 8:06am CST by Zachary Links

It’s a done deal. And it’s one for the record books (for now, at least). 

On Wednesday morning, the Saints and Michael Thomas agreed to a five-year, $100MM extension with $61MM guaranteed, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The new deal makes him the league’s highest-paid receiver of all-time on a yearly basis.

With the new deal, Thomas is tied to New Orleans through the 2024 season. In 2019, he’ll still earn a paltry $1.148MM in the final year of his rookie contract, but he’s already locked in plenty of dough at signing.

The deal marks plenty of firsts for the Saints as well. They’ve never paid a non-QB skill-position player more than $10MM per year, but they’re now paying Thomas $20MM per annum. The previous watermark was owned by tight end Jimmy Graham, who banked $10MM/season before being traded to the Seahawks in 2015.

Last season, Thomas set Saints records with 125 catches and 1,405 yards while adding nine touchdown grabs. He was wildly efficient, too – Thomas’ catch rate of 84.5% was the highest of any NFL receiver since at least 2001.

With Thomas’ deal done, the attention will now shift to fellow standout wide receivers in search of their own monster contracts. Unlike Thomas, Falcons star Julio Jones has participated in training camp, but he is expecting a contract that will either match or exceed Thomas’ in average annual value. There’s also Bengals star A.J. Green to consider, though his recent injury may be a barrier in talks.

Down the line, Thomas’ new deal will also have ramifications for the Cowboys and Chiefs as they consider extensions for Amari Cooper and Tyreek Hill.

Saints, Michael Thomas Nearing Deal (Again)

July 30th, 2019 at 12:35pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints and wide receiver Michael Thomas are close on a new deal, Mike Florio of PFT hears. This was more or less what we heard late last week, but, at long last, the two sides sound like they’re at the goal line. 

Thomas has been holding out of Saints camp as he awaits a new deal, much to the chagrin of GM Mickey Loomis. Florio senses that Thomas is gunning for $20MM/year on a five-year deal while the Saints have pitched $19MM/season. Still, there are structural and guarantee issues to be resolved. For now, the Saints have the right to fine Thomas $40K per day missed in camp.

In 2018, Thomas led the league with 125 receptions while racking up 1,405 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

Saints Place Buck Allen On IR

July 30th, 2019 at 12:08pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints have placed running back Buck Allen on injured reserve, according to head coach Sean Payton. To take his place, the club has signed running back Robert Kelley. 

Allen worked out for the Saints in May alongside Kelley. Allen was the best of the bunch at the time, but Kelley will now get his shot now that the ex-Raven has been ruled out for the year.

Kelley only suited up for two games with the Redskins last year thanks to a toe injury (but he didn’t break his knee, dude.) The running back averaged 4.2 yards per carry as a rookie in 2016 and he’s hoping to regain his old form in 2019. Unfortunately for him, he has a tough road ahead of him to make the Saints’ roster. Behind star Alvin Kamara, the Saints already have Latavius Murray and the underrated Dwayne Washington.

In related moves, the club also inked wide receiver Travin Dural and waived defensive back Chris Campbell.

Theo Riddick Down To Broncos, Saints?

July 29th, 2019 at 8:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Theo Riddick generated some interest after the Lions ended his six-year tenure last week, and the seventh-year pass-catching back looks to be deciding between the two teams he visited. It appears to be a Broncos-or-Saints decision for the veteran back, per Mike Klis of 9News (on Twitter).

This is interesting because of a previous report. Riddick was tabbed, per NOLA.com’s Herbie Teope (Twitter link), as hoping to take his time before choosing his next team. More visits were potentially on the agenda, though Teope did not indicate a third team was definitively in the mix. He now hears that it’s indeed Denver or New Orleans for the 28-year-old back (Twitter link).

Offensive assistants for both teams likely have played roles in this recruitment. Riddick played under Broncos running backs coach Curtis Modkins from 2013-15, with Saints quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi also in Detroit during that time — as Lions OC from 2014-15.

It’s interesting in an era of running back marginalization that Riddick has generated immediate interest going into his seventh season, but he has shown a defined skill set that fits well in the modern game. Riddick has 285 receptions since his 2013 rookie slate; that’s third in the NFL among running backs over that span. His 2,238 receiving yards are fourth among backs.

Both the Broncos and Saints have solidified first- and second-string backs, with Phillip Lindsay and Alvin Kamara starting and Royce Freeman and Latavius Murray in place as respective complementary pieces. The Broncos have fourth-year back Devontae Booker in place behind Lindsay and Freeman, but Riddick has shown much more as a receiver.

The Saints also lost out on potential target Alfred Morris, who agreed to terms with the Cowboys minutes ago. While Morris and Riddick do not have similar skill sets, the Saints are showing urgency to bring in some help behind their top two backs. Buck Allen has not suited up for camp yet, leaving former Riddick Detroit teammate Dwayne Washington among those seeing time in his absence. While Booker would seemingly stay on as Denver’s third-string back if Riddick opts for New Orleans, Larry Holder of The Athletic writes (subscription required) the Saints’ No. 3 job is wide open.

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