The Saints are still interested in reaching a deal with upcoming free agent running back Mark Ingram, but GM Mickey Loomis tells Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune that their ability to keep him will be “intertwined” with the team’s salary cap situation and Ingram’s market value. “In free agency, everyone wants to see what the market is,” Loomis said. “The question is, can that get done prior to March 10? Can both sides get a good feel for that beforehand and do a deal, or do we need to wait and see where all the offers are and respond accordingly?” Here’s more from the NFC South..
- Buccaneers GM Jason Licht will meet with the agent for Vincent Jackson in Indianapolis, presumably to ask for a restructuring of his $9.77MM salary, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Jackson finished the year with 70 catches for 1,002 receiving yards and two touchdowns. That yardage total was the lowest he’s had in a full season since 2007. When asked if Jackson will be back in 2015, Licht said (link), “Absolutely. We really like Vincent Jackson.”
- Loomis also told Woodbery that the Saints have a plan to get under the NFL salary cap by March 10th. Getting that done won’t be a walk in the park and all things considered, Loomis says he has a checklist of about 20 things to accomplish in the coming months. On the other hand, things should be a bit more straightforward than last year, when Jimmy Graham‘s status dominated the offseason.
- The Saints won’t hire a new player personnel director following Ryan Pace‘s departure, Katherine Terrell of The Times-Picayune writes. Loomis said filling Pace’s role just to fill a title isn’t really necessary, as titles have never meant much to him anyway.