- Saints defensive tackle David Onyemata was recently suspended for the first game of the 2019 season, but at least he won’t be facing any further legal trouble. Onyemata completed a diversion program and won’t be prosecuted in his marijuana case, per Ramon Antonio Vargas of NOLA.com. Unfortunately for Onyemata this didn’t all happen before the new CBA took effect, as the league is reportedly likely to stop punishing players for marijuana use. Onyemata, a 2016 fourth-round pick, has blossomed into a key contributor for the Saints, and New Orleans’ defensive line will be a bit thin in Week 1 with him and Sheldon Rankins both sidelined. Last year Onyemata played around 60 percent of the team’s defensive snaps as a run-stuffer, and received very strong marks from Pro Football Focus.
Former West Virginia wide receiver Marcus Simms worked out for half of the NFL’s teams on Monday, according to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com. The Jaguars, Saints, Seahawks, Colts, Jets, Redskins, Chiefs, Browns, Eagles, Lions, Packers, 49ers, Vikings, Ravens, Raiders, and Falcons.
[RELATED: The 2019 NFL Supplemental Draft, So Far]
The 49ers and Vikings both sent directors of scouting while the Ravens had their personnel director on hand. The Raiders, meanwhile, had general manager Mike Mayock on hand, which may be an indicator of strong interest.
Simms’ 40-yard-dash times of 4.49, 4.45 and 4.40 seconds were strong, while his 36 inch vertical showed decent hops for the position. While he’s not considered to be as strong of a pro prospect as Washington State safety Jalen Thompson, Simms has a chance at being selected when the NFL Supplemental Draft takes place later this month.
Unlike the AFC, where the same team has been the annual favorite for a few years now, the NFC has featured different Patriots opponents over the past three seasons. Since the Packers’ back-to-back Super Bowl appearances in 1996-97, only the 2013-14 Seahawks have repeated as conference champions.
When determining who should be considered the 2019 NFC favorite, we should first look at conference’s two best 2018 teams. While the Saints have one of NFL history’s greatest arguments for being the team that should have gone to a Super Bowl, the Rams did. Both teams bring back most of their core players.
The Rams lost more than the Saints this offseason, with their big-spending 2018 helping lead to the departures of Rodger Saffold, Lamarcus Joyner and Ndamukong Suh. Los Angeles brought back Dante Fowler and added Clay Matthews, giving the two-time reigning NFC West champions much bigger names on the edge than the ones that opened the ’18 season as starters, and signed Eric Weddle to replace Joyner. The Rams will trot out two new offensive linemen, likely 2018 mid-round picks Joseph Noteboom (at left guard) and Brian Allen (center). Cooper Kupp is also on track for Week 1. But Todd Gurley‘s status overshadows the rest of the Rams’ lineup; the team has kept information about its two-time All-Pro running back’s knee injury close to the vest.
Lagging just behind the Rams in Super Bowl LIV odds, the Saints lost Mark Ingram but added Latavius Murray. Max Unger retired, but New Orleans added both free agent Nick Easton and second-round pick Erik McCoy. The 2018 trades the Saints made left them without first-, third- and fourth-round picks this year, limiting their ability to enhance their roster cheaply. Drew Brees heads into his age-40 season, and while his arm strength may not be what it once was, he broke his own completion percentage record and was Pro Football Focus’ top-graded QB last season. The cogs chiefly responsible for the Saints’ No. 6 weighted DVOA defensive ranking also return.
The next tier, per Vegas, features the double-doink game’s participants. The Eagles were again active this year, bringing back DeSean Jackson and replacing Michael Bennett with Malik Jackson. Zach Brown also headed to eastern Pennsylvania on a low-cost deal. Philadelphia brought back Brandon Graham and Ronald Darby and extended Jason Kelce. Carson Wentz‘s extension will hit future Eagles caps harder, but his 2019 number ($8.393MM) helps Howie Roseman‘s ability to fortify the roster. After a busy 2018 free agency, the Bears had a quiet offseason. They lost DC Vic Fangio, the NFL’s assistant coach of the year, and may be in line for changes under replacement Chuck Pagano. Scrutinized quarterback Mitch Trubisky (No. 3 in 2018 QBR, No. 18 in Football Outsiders’ DYAR metric) obviously has the biggest say in where the Bears go.
Two out of the past three NFC champions missed the playoffs the year prior, and Vegas places the Packers as the top such candidate for 2019. Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur have expressed a difference of opinion about Green Bay’s offensive structure, but the Packers enjoyed their most active offseason in years. Brian Gutekunst spent wildly on edge rushers, with both Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith now each a top-five highest-paid 3-4 outside linebacker, and brought in Adrian Amos for $9MM annually. Did they do enough to get back in the Super Bowl mix?
While the Cowboys re-routed their season after their Amari Cooper trade, Las Vegas is not bullish on their chances. Dallas sits at 25-to-1 Super Bowl odds, the same as Seattle, Minnesota and San Francisco. Despite their NFC East title, the Cowboys ended last season as the No. 21 DVOA team.
The Seahawks lost one of the top receivers in franchise history, with Doug Baldwin retiring at age 30, and traded their best pass rusher. Ziggy Ansah and first-round pick L.J. Collier represent the team’s top edge options. Minnesota is all-in on this nucleus, with the Anthony Barr deal furthering Rick Spielman‘s massive financial commitments to the core he built. Do the Vikings (ninth in weighted DVOA last season) have enough talent to justify these expenses?
Will a team emerge unexpectedly? The 49ers have Jimmy Garoppolo set to suit up again and, after acquiring Dee Ford and Nick Bosa, boast their best edge corps in years. Are the Falcons (40-1) being undervalued? Vote in PFR’s latest poll (link for app users) and weigh in with your NFC assessments in the comments section.
It’s an otherwise slow Friday afternoon, but we already have our second suspension of the day. Not long after Rams center Aaron Neary was slapped with a four-game ban, Saints defensive tackle David Onyemata is being suspended for the first game of the 2019 season, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Schefter reports that it’s for a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. Onyemata was cited for Marijuana possession back in February, and the suspension likely stems from that incident. Onyemata was drafted in the fourth round back in 2016, and he’s taken on a big role in New Orleans. He played nearly 60 percent of the defensive snaps for the Saints last year, so this is a big loss.
Onyemata had an interesting path to the NFL, as he grew up in Nigeria. After moving to Canada, he became a breakout football star despite never having played the sport prior to moving. He was invited to the East-West Shrine Game despite never playing American college football, and the Saints drafted him 120th overall.
After playing a rotational role as a rookie, he started playing a lot more the last couple of years. In 2018 he racked up 35 tackles and 4.5 sacks while appearing in all 16 games and starting four. He received very strong marks from Pro Football Focus, grading out as their 24th-best defensive lineman last year. Sheldon Rankins tore his Achilles at the end of last season, and with Onyemata now on the shelf the Saints could be pretty thin at defensive tackle in Week 1.
The Saints and Michael Thomas seem to be making some progress on contract talks, as Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune tweets. Thomas’ camp has lowered its asking price to $22MM/year, though they remain about $4MM apart in terms of average annual value. Nothing is imminent, as Thomas is currently on vacation in Europe. 
Already, the Saints are willing to go to $18MM/year, which would match Odell Beckham Jr.’s average annual value. If the two sides meet in the middle and split the difference, Thomas will be the league’s highest-paid wide receiver in terms of new money AAV, though a forthcoming extension for Julio Jones could knock him down a notch.
Thomas, who leads the league in receptions (321) over the past three seasons and ranks fifth in yards (3,787) since the start of the 2016 season, is likely looking to be the NFL’s highest-paid receiver in every major contract category, which would include AAV, total value, total guarantees, and full guarantees. It’s a safe bet that he’ll check most of those boxes after notching a league-leading 125 catches, a career-high 1,405 yards, and a career-high matching nine touchdowns.
Thomas’ effort landed him a First-Team All-Pro nod in 2018 and at the age of 26, he’s just getting warmed up.
The Saints and Michael Thomas are far apart in contract talks and no extension is imminent, according to Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com (on Twitter). Still, the two sides remain motivated to get a deal done and hope to have one in place by the start of training camp. 
This news somewhat conflicts with what we heard earlier this week. The two sides seemed to be in a good place, especially since the Saints are reportedly comfortable with making Thomas the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL.
For one reason or another, the two sides have hit a snag. It’s possible that the Saints have offered to make Thomas the highest-paid wideout by certain metrics such as average annual value, but his guarantees might not be on par with that of Odell Beckham Jr., who leads the way with $65MM in total guarantees and a whopping $41MM guaranteed at signing. Thomas, who leads the league in receptions (321) over the past three seasons and ranks fifth in yards (3,787) since the start of the ’16 campaign, is likely seeking to be the new leader across every major category.
Thomas recently signed with agent Andrew Kessler after cutting ties with David Mulugheta in November. a sign that he is not content with simply cracking the top five at the position. The Saints may want to get something done with Thomas sooner rather than later, because his asking price could inch up if the rival Falcons sign Julio Jones to a multi-year extension first.
A day after Mickey Loomis revealed extension conversations between the Saints and Michael Thomas had occurred, this topic is gaining steam.
Not only are the sides moving closer to a deal, but ESPN.com’s Dianna Russini reports (on Twitter) the Saints are comfortable making their top receiver the NFL’s highest-paid wideout. More than a month remains before the Saints report for training camp, and Russini adds (via Twitter) the deal is expected to be completed by that point.
Thomas’ age and numbers will set a high price tag, and due to being a second-round pick, the 26-year-old target is entering his contract year. The Saints also figure to have a clearer picture of what it will cost for them to lock up Thomas. The Falcons began Julio Jones re-up talks months ago. Those discussions ending with Jones almost certainly becoming the highest-paid wideout will raise the bar for Thomas, who has changed representation multiple times since coming into the league.
The Saints have not committed this kind of money to a wide receiver, with Jimmy Graham‘s $10MM-per-year 2014 contract representing the organization’s high-water contract given to a skill-position talent. The team is, however, comfortable with high-end receiver money. New Orleans retained Marques Colston on a five-year, $40MM deal in 2012 — his third contract with the team — and that accord came under a $120MM salary cap. Its biggest investment in a wideout occurred in 2005, via a five-year Joe Horn extension worth around $42MM (when the cap resided at $85.5MM). Saints GM since 2002, Loomis finalized both deals.
But more recently, the team passed on authorizing extensions for Kenny Stills or Brandin Cooks, trading both. Thomas has outproduced both Stills and Cooks during his three-year career and, albeit in a friendlier environment for receiving success, broke Horn’s 14-year-old franchise record for single-season receiving yardage last year.
The No. 47 pick in the 2016 draft, Thomas leads the league in receptions (321) over the past three seasons and ranks fifth in yards (3,787) since the start of the ’16 campaign. He posted 1,405 yards last season, en route to All-Pro acclaim, and holds the only two 100-plus-reception slates in the Saints’ 52-year run. The Saints hold just more than $8MM in cap space but appear ready to lock up Thomas.
Many have wondered how much longer Saints quarterback Drew Brees will continue to play, but GM Mickey Loomis says he isn’t stressing over the 40-year-old quarterback’s future.
The Saints will happily keep Brees as long as he’s playing at an elite level, but they will have to figure out his contractual situation in order to stay the course. As it stands, Brees is set to count for $21.3MM in dead money against the Saints’ cap in 2020, which may prompt the team to kick the can down the road with yet another contract adjustment.
A major domino in the wide receiver market will be Michael Thomas‘ second NFL contract. The Saints are in the early stages of working on that.
Saints GM Mickey Loomis confirmed, during a radio interview with Adam Schein of Mad Dog Sports Radio (audio link), the team and Thomas have engaged in discussions on his next deal. Loomis declined to get into how substantive the talks have been or whether they are ongoing, but this is a positive step for the Saints and their top wideout.
“We’ve had some conversations,” Loomis said. “We love what Mike’s done for us. He’s a fantastic player, one of the best in the league. Hopefully we can keep him a Saint for a long time.”
This is a pivotal stretch for the parties. Since Thomas was a second-round pick in 2016, he does not have the fifth-year option luxury most of his high-end receiver peers did. This represents the 26-year-old target’s contract year. Thomas is set to make just $1.15MM in base salary this season.
Considering his age and production history, Thomas can be expected to either become the NFL’s highest-paid receiver — perhaps after the Saints gain more information via their top rivals’ seemingly imminent Julio Jones deal — or close to it. Thomas has changed agents multiple times and hired his latest representation in February, so this likely represents the first of a few developments on this particular extension front.
Currently, Odell Beckham‘s $18MM-per-year agreement tops the league in terms of average annual value and fully guaranteed money ($40.9MM). Although Beckham came into the league two years before Thomas, he is only four months older. Thomas does, however, have one All-Pro showing to Beckham’s zero. Both are three years younger than Jones.
Thomas leads the league in receptions (321) over the past three seasons and ranks fifth in yards (3,787) since the start of the 2016 season. His 1,405 yards last season set a new Saints single-season record; he holds the only two 100-plus-reception seasons in the Saints’ 52-year history. The Saints hold just more than $8MM in cap space, which, per usual for this franchise, is near the bottom of the league.
The Saints have signed wide receiver Rishard Matthews, according to the NFL’s transactions wire. To make room, the team waived fellow wide receiver Travin Dural. 
The Titans granted Matthews’ request for release in late September after he grew frustrated with his lack of playing time. He hooked on with the Jets in October, but posted just two catches for 13 yards before landing on injured reserve.
Prior to that, Matthews was the Titans’ leading receiver for two seasons. And, prior to that, he had something of a breakout season with the Dolphins in 2015.
Matthews isn’t the only ex-Jet to join the Saints’ WR group. The Saints also added Chad Hansen earlier this week, giving them a baker’s dozen of receivers on the 90-man roster.