HEADLINES

Pete Werner

Saints, LB Pete Werner Agree On Extension

August 8th, 2024 at 5:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

5:55pm: Further details on the pact are in, courtesy of Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. Werner will receive a $5.5MM signing bonus, and his base salaries for this season ($1.44MM) and next ($4.25MM) are locked in at signing. This contract is worth $22.5MM in base value, per OverTheCap.

The 2026 season calls for $6.25MM in salary, and it will shift from an injury to a full guarantee one year early. No guarantees are in place for the final year of the pact. Werner can earn up to $400K annually from 2025-27 with a snap share of 95% or higher, a mark he has yet to reach. Cashing in on those escalators would allow him to reach the extension’s maximum value of $24.6MM.

10:21am: A Saints defense packed with experienced performers has seen a rookie-contract cog become a regular in recent years. As a result, Pete Werner is no longer attached to that rookie deal.

The fourth-year linebacker agreed to terms on an extension Thursday, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, who indicates this is a three-year commitment. Werner signed a deal worth more than $25MM, per Schefter, with $17.5MM coming guaranteed. The former second-round pick will be tied to the Saints through the 2027 season.

Although we do not yet know the precise value, this extension appears to fall in line with the the off-ball linebacker market’s upper middle class. While market reassessments at running back and safety have been discussed more often, ILB paydays have dipped a bit in recent years. The past two free agency periods have produced a glut of second-level defenders whose contracts have come in between $6MM and $10MM per year. If the Werner deal’s base value is indeed beyond $25MM, the AAV would fall in line with the contracts Logan Wilson, Jordyn Brooks and Dre Greenlaw signed in the recent past.

Only five ILBs are currently tied to deals worth more than $12MM per annum, and Patrick Queen‘s Steelers pact contains no guarantees beyond Year 1. C.J. Mosley and Foyesade Oluokun also agreed to pay cuts (revisions that provided increased guarantees) this year. While this is not the best era to be an off-ball ‘backer, teams rely on their anchors at these positions. The Saints have one of the best, in Demario Davis, but Werner — at 25 — is 10 years younger.

Werner emerged as a full-time player last season, logging an 88% snap rate for a workload (920 defensive plays) that came in well above his previous two seasons. The Davis sidekick opted for security rather than head into a contract year. The Saints have now agreed to deals with Davis, Werner and Willie Gay this offseason. The Gay deal, however, checked in as a one-year, $3MM accord.

Pro Football Focus was much lower on Werner as a full-timer compared to his part-time work. After rating the former No. 60 overall pick as its No. 5 off-ball ‘backer in 2021, PFF slotted him 40th in 2022 and 67th in ’23. As far as traditional stats go, Werner racked up 93 tackles (four for loss) and intercepted a pass last year — his first with more than 11 starts. The Ohio State product started 16 games.

The Saints continue to rely on Davis’ top-shelf versatility carrying into his mid-30s; PFF rated the ageless dynamo third at the position in 2023. While betting against Davis has been a risky proposition, Werner’s contract may well place him on track to be the team’s long-term LB option once the team’s 35-year-old pillar is out of the picture.

New Orleans now has veteran contracts for Davis, Werner, Cameron Jordan, Chase Young, Marshon Lattimore and Tyrann Mathieu on defense. The team also brought in Justin Simmons for a visit Wednesday. Going into his fourth season, Werner profiles as an important young talent on a defense that features some aging cogs. The Saints will count on him for the foreseeable future.

NFC South Notes: Mariota, Saints, Bucs

November 18th, 2022 at 10:45am CST by Sam Robinson

Marcus Mariota did not acquit himself well during the Falcons‘ Week 10 loss to the Panthers, and Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post notes the eighth-year passer’s status as Atlanta’s starter past the midseason point has befuddled various NFL staffers. Mariota’s style has led Arthur Smith to lean heavily on his ground attack (23.1 pass attempts per game), and while that has been fairly effective for the Falcons, the team’s top-10 picks over the past two years — Kyle Pitts and Drake London — are being limited by this offense. Some execs are wondering why it is taking the Falcons so long to bench Mariota for rookie third-rounder Desmond Ridder, La Canfora adds. Pitts, who became only the second rookie tight end in NFL history to surpass 1,000 yards (behind Mike Ditka, 1961), has topped 30 yards in just two games this season. This year’s first wideout taken, London has not exceeded 50 yards in a game since Week 3.

It is certainly possible the Falcons, who are rebuilding yet also competing in a weak NFC South, do not view Ridder as ready. But this situation is raising eyebrows around the league. Here is the latest from the NFL’s lone division without an above-.500 team:

  • Pete Werner missed the Saints‘ Week 10 game due to an ankle injury, and it does not sound like he will return anytime soon. The second-year linebacker underwent surgery, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football tweets. Werner remains on New Orleans’ active roster, oddly, though it seems likely the team moves him to IR soon. The Saints are not ruling Werner out from a return this season, Underhill adds. After working as a part-time starter last season, the former second-round pick has been a three-down player this year. The Ohio State product has made a career-high 74 tackles and ranks as a top-30 linebacker, per Pro Football Focus.
  • The Saints should be expected to augment their running back situation in 2023, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.football tweets. Mark Ingram will turn 33 soon, and his contract expires at season’s end. Alvin Kamara will likely be suspended for his role in an alleged assault; the five-time Pro Bowler’s case has been delayed multiple times and is now tabled to January 2023. The Saints will likely have a bevy of options to choose from to find a Kamara complement/fill-in option. While certain free agency-eligible backs (Saquon Barkley chief among them) will not hit the market, many will. The contingent of starters or key contributors who are eligible for 2023 free agency includes Kareem Hunt, Josh Jacobs, Miles Sanders, David Montgomery, Damien Harris, Tony Pollard, Devin Singletary and D’Onta Foreman. Although the Saints could obviously look to the draft here, this is shaping up as a buyer’s running back market.
  • Rob Gronkowski‘s second retirement following O.J. Howard‘s free agency departure led to a near-overhaul for the Buccaneers at tight end. While longtime contributor Cameron Brate remains, he sustained a concussion recently. During Brate’s injury hiatus, the Bucs explored adding a tight end at the deadline, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. However, the team stood pat and has since used fourth-round rookie Cade Otton frequently. Otton, who caught Tom Brady‘s game-winning toss to beat the Rams earlier this month, and Brate have played in front of offseason addition Kyle Rudolph. Brate’s Week 10 return left the 12th-year vet a healthy scratch.

NFC South Rumors: Darnold, Christensen, Bucs, Murphy-Bunting, Werner

August 13th, 2022 at 2:20pm CST by Ely Allen

As Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield starts to run away with the starting job, questions have been raised about the future of incumbent starter Sam Darnold. When a rumor surfaced that Carolina may be shopping the fifth-year passer, general manager Scott Fitterer pulled Darnold aside to set him at ease, according to Joseph Person of The Athletic.

“I talked to Scott,” Darnold explained. “He said not to worry about it. To be honest, before he talked to me, I didn’t even see it. So I’m just gonna continue to do me and do what I can to put myself in a good position and put this team in a good position.”

Aiding Fitterer in convincing Darnold that he’s not likely to be dealt is Darnold’s $18.86MM salary. There could certainly be a team willing to make a call about Darnold if an injury occurs to their starter, but if the Panthers wanted to offload him, they’d likely have to eat some of his contract, as well.

There’s a good chance, though, that Darnold stays put. As Person explained, “in a league that saw only 12 teams make it through the 17-game regular season in 2021 with one quarterback,” the backup quarterback is still a crucially important position. And, while Darnold may not rank highly among the starters in today’s game, he certainly ranks as one of the better backup quarterbacks in the league. The backup job appears to be his, too, as long as the Panthers continue to slow play the development of rookie third-round pick Matt Corral.

Here are a few other rumors from around the NFC South, starting with another note out of the Tar Heel state:

  • As certain as it seems that rookie first-round pick Ikem Ekwonu will start the 2022 season as the Panthers’ starting left tackle, Carolina is still giving last year’s third-round pick, Brady Christensen, plenty of snaps at the position. According to Person, Christensen took the majority of the first-team reps this past Thursday at the position. Christensen has a highly sought after versatility that gives the Panthers the option of playing him as a guard or a tackle. With Ekwonu still expected to win the starting job, perhaps offensive line coach James Campen just wants to ensure his best backup option has enough experience at one of the offensive line’s most important positions.
  • The Buccaneers‘ interior offensive line will look completely different in 2022 after the departures of Alex Cappa and Ali Marpet, as well as an injury that may cause center Ryan Jensen to miss a significant amount of time. Trade acquisition Shaq Mason will man the right guard position, while the left guard and center positions are still up in the air, according to ESPN’s Jenna Laine. The center position is currently a battle between Robert Hainsey and Nick Leverett. Leverett is also competing for the left guard starting job with Aaron Stinnie and rookie second-round pick Luke Goedeke. A tweet from Bucs staff writer Scott Smith, though, may hint at one of the positions. Smith reports that assistant head coach & run game coordinator Harold Goodwin “hopes a decision (at left guard) will be made prior to the third preseason game” so that the new left guard can “build chemistry with Donovan Smith and (Hainsey).” Smith is projected to be the starting left tackle, so this comment from Goodwin may point to the fact that Hainsey has won the position battle at center.
  • We recently did a rundown of the Buccaneers’ cornerbacks room, but an update, provided by Matt Matera of the Pewter Report, may give us some new information. We claimed that Sean Murphy-Bunting was in a competition with Jamel Dean for the No. 2 cornerback spot opposite Carlton Davis, but that the loser of that battle would still likely get plenty of time as the top option at nickel. According to Matera, though, Murphy-Bunting is no longer working in the slot and is solely competing with Dean for the outside job. Matera adds that Dean seems to have the inside-track which will leave Murphy-Bunting coming off the bench.
  • It appears that Saints second-year linebacker Pete Werner has taken hold of the starting weak-side linebacker position next to Demario Davis, according to Jeff Duncan of nola.com. Duncan comments that the staff’s confidence in Werner is high enough that it assisted in their decision to allow former starter Kwon Alexander to walk in free agency.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/1/22

August 1st, 2022 at 6:40pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are the first minor moves of August:

Baltimore Ravens

Denver Broncos

  • Activated from active/PUP list: WR KJ Hamler

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

The Lions’ new running back, Jackson, has found a second home after playing out his rookie contract in Los Angeles. The former seventh-round pick out of Northwestern spent his time with the Chargers backing up starting running back Austin Ekeler, earning a few starts during Ekeler’s more injury-riddled periods. Despite not receiving many touches, Jackson has made the most of each one averaging 5.0 yards per carry during his four-year career in the NFL to total 1,040 rushing yards and four touchdowns, adding 508 yards receiving on 65 receptions. Jackson will compete with Craig Reynolds and Jermar Jefferson for the reserve positions behind the top-two backs, D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/27/22

July 27th, 2022 at 5:45pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor NFL transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Signed: OL Keenan Forbes, G Eric Wilson

Saints Sign Entire Draft Class, Restructure Marshon Lattimore

June 8th, 2021 at 3:53pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Saints just knocked out a big order of business. New Orleans has signed their entire draft class to their rookie deals, as Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football tweeted.

To create the cap space necessary for these deals, the team restructured cornerback Marshon Lattimore‘s contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets. They converted his “$10.2M fifth year option to a $990K base salary and the rest in a roster bonus with voidable years,” he reports. Rapsheet adds that the team will “keep working on an extension” with Lattimore.

The six-man draft class includes defensive end Payton Turner (first-round; Houston), linebacker Pete Werner (second-round; Ohio State), cornerback Paulson Adebo (third-round; Stanford), quarterback Ian Book (fourth-round; Notre Dame), offensive tackle Landon Young (sixth-round; Kentucky), and wide receiver Kawaan Baker (seventh-round; South Alabama).

It’s great they got this out of the way as the offseason starts to heat up with mandatory minicamps. The Saints had been in a terrible cap situation at the end of 2020, but GM Mickey Loomis has always been able to work some magic.