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Colts, Jameis Winston Discussing Deal; Saints Still On Radar

March 17th, 2022 at 5:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

With three fourths of the NFC South pursuing Deshaun Watson, the quarterback market has hit a bit of a standstill. The Saints still loom as an option for Jameis Winston, but a Watson trade obviously nixes that path. Winston may act before Watson, complicating New Orleans’ QB path.

The Colts have engaged in discussions with Winston, Josina Anderson of USA Today reports (on Twitter). This makes sense, given Indianapolis’ sudden need, but Winston said the Saints have already made him an offer. Saints GM Mickey Loomis said earlier this month a Winston return was in play, though the team’s proposal may be contingent on Watson choosing the Falcons or Panthers.

[RELATED: Saints, Watson Meet Again]

Further complicating the QB market is Baker Mayfield, who has been connected to the Colts. The Browns, who have a bit of an issue on their hands now after making an unsuccessful push for Watson and irking their incumbent starter, have not indicated they will grant Mayfield’s trade request.

The No. 1 overall pick three years before Mayfield, Winston has spent the past two years with the Saints. He suffered a torn ACL midway through the season, leading to the Saints starting four QBs during the campaign. Winston, 28, threw 14 touchdown passes compared to just three interceptions, despite New Orleans’ bottom-tier pass-catching crew. That works in his favor, while the ACL tear stands to limit his market. Winston, who told Anderson he is uninterested in signing anywhere to be a backup, signed a one-year deal worth $5.5MM with the Saints last year.

Indianapolis will be set to start a different Week 1 quarterback for the sixth straight year, having traded Carson Wentz. That opened up a ton of cap space for the team but also created a noticeable void at the league’s premier position. Signing Winston would not be nearly as costly for the Colts, who lead the NFL in cap space.

Saints, Deshaun Watson Meet Again

March 17th, 2022 at 9:15am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints met with Deshaun Watson for a second time on Wednesday night, according to Nick Underhill (on Twitter). Meanwhile, Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network (Twitter link) hears that the decision is ultimately expected to come down to the Saints and Falcons.

Watson holds a no-trade clause and, therefore, effectively holds the cards. Wilson hears that the Saints have been working hard to get the Texans quarterback on board and they may be on the verge of getting the go-ahead.

Last night, we heard that Watson was “incredibly torn” about his decision after meeting with all four clubs. In addition to the Falcons and Saints, the Panthers and Browns have also been in trade talks with Texans GM Nick Caserio.

It’s also worth noting that the Saints have restructured the contracts of quarterback Taysom Hill, cornerback Bradley Roby, linebacker DeMario Davis and safety Malcolm Jenkins, as Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link) notes. Between those moves and other restructures, the Saints now have roughly $30MM in cap room, which would be enough to absorb Watson’s contract.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/17/22

March 17th, 2022 at 7:56am CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Restructured Contracts: Saints, Floyd, Hyde, Barrett

March 16th, 2022 at 10:42pm CST by Ben Levine

While teams are currently focused on adding free agents, some front offices are looking to carve out some extra cap space. We’ve collected some of today’s restructured deals below:

  • The Saints opened up some extra cap space earlier today. According to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter), the team restructured the contracts of defensive tackle David Onyemata and offensive tackle James Hurst. The moves saved the team an extra $7.015MM. Onyemata inked a three-year, $27MM deal with the Saints in 2020, and he already reworked his contract last offseason. A year ago yesterday, Hurst inked a three-year, $9MM extension with New Orleans.
  • The Rams opened up $12MM in cap space by reworking Leonard Floyd‘s contract, according to Yates (on Twitter). Floyd signed a four-year, $64MM extension with the organization last year. In two years with the Rams, the edge rusher has collected 20 sacks, and he’s added another four in six playoff games.
  • The Bills converted $5.68MM of safety Micah Hyde’s contract into a signing bonus, opening $4.54MM in cap space, per Yates (on Twitter). The veteran signed a two-year, $19.25MM extension with Buffalo last offseason. Hyde has spent the past five seasons in Buffalo, earning a pair of Pro Bowl nods while only missing a pair of regular season games.
  • The Buccaneers restructured Shaq Barrett’s contract, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The move should open up just under $10MM in cap space, according to Greg Auman of The Athletic (on Twitter). After playing the 2020 season under the franchise tag, Barrett inked a four-year, $72MM deal ($36MM guaranteed) with the Buccaneers last offseason.

Latest On Deshaun Watson

March 16th, 2022 at 7:31pm CST by Ben Levine

The Falcons’ meeting with quarterback Deshaun Watson has come to an end, and the team has reportedly submitted a trade offer to the Texans, reports Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com.

While Watson’s previous meetings with the Browns, Saints, and Panthers all took place in Houston, the QB’s meeting with the Falcons was in Atlanta. As Wilson notes, the Falcons were a late addition to the Watson sweepstakes, but there are reasons to be optimistic about their pursuit. Watson grew up in Georgia, and he has a relationship with assistant coach T.J. Yates, who played and coached for the Texans.

While the Falcons’ meeting may have featured a different location, the personnel was generally the same. All four teams had their owners, general managers, and coaches present for their respective meetings, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter).

Watson is finished speaking with potential suitors, but he’s still making a decision on his preferred path. Per Florio (on Twitter), the quarterback is “incredibly torn” about his decision and was impressed by all four presentations. This has made it “very difficult” to choose a destination, and there is no specific timetable for his decision.

The 26-year-old passer choosing Atlanta would mean the end of Matt Ryan‘s 14-year run leading the team. With the Falcons getting into the Watson mix late, they informed Ryan last weekend of their plans at quarterback, Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). The Browns did not brief Baker Mayfield on their Watson intentions.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/16/22

March 16th, 2022 at 2:39pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at the latest tender decisions from around the NFL:

RFAs

Tendered:

Non-tendered:

ERFAs

Tendered:

Saints To Sign S Marcus Maye

March 15th, 2022 at 9:40pm CST by Ben Levine

The Saints have added a big-name free agent to their secondary. New Orleans is signing safety Marcus Maye, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo (on Twitter).

Maye got a three-year, $28.5MM deal from New Orleans, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). The deal contains $15MM in guaranteed money.

Maye’s 2021 did not go especially well. A DUI arrest came shortly after tense negotiations with the Jets, who did not finalize a long-term extension by the July deadline. Maye played the season on the franchise tag but suffered an Achilles tear, limiting him to only six games. The former second-round pick started 32 games for New York between the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

It was only a few hours ago that we heard the Jets were keeping an eye on their free agent. Connor Hughes of The Athletic confirms (on Twitter) that the Jets were interested in re-signing the safety, but Maye ended up taking the better offer.

The Saints, meanwhile, watched as safety Marcus Williams left for Baltimore earlier today. The defensive back got a whopping five-year, $70MM deal from the Ravens, so New Orleans certainly got a discount by pivoting to Maye.

Saints Rework CB Bradley Roby’s Deal

March 15th, 2022 at 8:22pm CST by Ben Levine

Bradley Roby is staying in New Orleans. The Saints have agreed to a new deal with the cornerback, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). This move will help the Saints open up some cap space while also assuring that Roby stays with the organization.

After reworking his contract last offseason, Roby’s cap hit was set at $10.169MM in 2022. Roby also has void years in 2023, 2024, 2025 at $25MM per year. 

Roby is still playing out a three-year, $36MM deal he signed with the Texans in 2020. He was traded to New Orleans a year later for a third- and sixth-round pick, and he ended up seeing time in 14 games (one start) for his new team. Roby’s first season with the Saints saw him collect 23 tackles, one sack, five passes defended, and one interception.

The Saints were one of the most cash-strapped teams in the NFL, but they’ve already done some work to get under the cap. Of course, the organization is also in the hunt for Deshaun Watson, so it’s not surprising that the front office continues to look for ways to clear money from their books.

Latest On FA OL Terron Armstead

March 15th, 2022 at 7:51pm CST by Ben Levine

Terron Armstead should earn himself a nice pay day this offseason, but it sounds like he’d consider taking a discount with the Saints depending on their QB situation. According to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter), Armstead is waiting to see if Deshaun Watson lands in New Orleans before figuring out his next step.

While Armstead is a free agent, he’s presumably among the Saints players actively recruiting Watson to New Orleans, according to Wilson.

Armstead is among the top free agents remaining on the board. The veteran has spent his entire career with the Saints, earning three-straight Pro Bowl nods between 2018 and 2020. The lineman has seen time in 97 career games (93 starts).

The 30-year-old started each of his eight games in 2021. He missed a handful of games with a knee injury, and he’ll reportedly need offseason surgery to repair the ailment.

Falcons To Meet With Deshaun Watson

March 15th, 2022 at 7:18pm CST by Zachary Links

7:18pm: Watson will meet with the Falcons on Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. The 26-year-old quarterback is a Georgia native, heading to Clemson from Gainesville, Ga., and once worked as a Falcons ball boy. Watson and the Browns finished their meeting Tuesday.

We might be moving close to a trade resolution here, though that is obviously only part of this saga. The Texans appear to have approved trade compensation from the Browns, Panthers and Saints, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com tweets. The Watson meetings were contingent upon it. This would point to the Falcons having made a satisfactory offer as well. Watson reached out to the Falcons about a meeting, Russini adds (on Twitter).

10:55am: The Falcons have emerged as a sleeper team to trade for Deshaun Watson, according to league sources who spoke with Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (Twitter link). With that, they join the Panthers, Saints, and Browns on the known list of clubs in pursuit of the Texans quarterback. 

Watson is set to meet with the Browns today. As of this writing, the Saints and Panthers are the only clubs reported to have made an offer. Still, the Browns have done plenty of research on Watson – both before trading that fateful draft pick to the Texans and after.

Matt Ryan completed 67% of his passes for 3,968 yards and 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last year. Those numbers are more or less in line with his career averages, though the Falcons are now years removed from their last Super Bowl appearance.

The Falcons could see Watson as the solution, though Ryan just agreed to restructure his contract last week. It’s also possible that the Falcons are simply doing their due diligence and/or looking to raise the asking price for their NFC South rivals. The Panthers and Saints are both keenly interested in the embattled QB — even if the Falcons don’t trade for him, they could help to chip away at their draft capital.

Thanks to Ryan’s restructuring, the Falcons opened up an additional $12MM on their 2022 books. On the heels of that move, they hammered out a brand new $50MM+ extension with veteran lineman Jake Matthews.

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