New Orleans Saints Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Contract Details: Bridgewater, Panthers, Vaitai, Lions, Byrd, Patriots, Brees, Saints

March 18th, 2020 at 1:31pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest notes on all of the contracts being handed out around the league:

QB Teddy Bridgewater, Panthers: signed. Bridgewater got a three-year deal worth $63MM and a whopping $40MM of that is guaranteed in the first two years, according to David Newton of ESPN.com. He got a $15MM signing bonus to take over for the start of the Matt Rhule era. Newton’s post has the full breakdown on how it’ll be paid out with various workout and roster bonuses.
OT Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Lions: signed. Vaitai’s five-year, $50MM contract includes $20MM guaranteed which will come in the first two years of the deal, Adam Caplan of Sirius XM NFL Radio tweets. Detroit can get out of the pact after that.
WR Damiere Byrd, Patriots: signed. Byrd’s one-year deal can be worth up to $2.5MM, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network notes in a tweet.
QB Drew Brees, Saints: re-signed. Brees’ two-year, $50MM new deal with New Orleans includes a signing bonus of $23MM and a small base salary of only $2MM in year one, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. That structure as well as two voidable years added on for 2022-2023 help keep his 2020 cap hit very low so the Saints can spend more as they gear up for one more Super Bowl with Brees under center.
LB Sean Lee, Cowboys: re-signed. Lee is back for one more ride on a one-year, $4.5MM deal with $2MM guaranteed. He actually could earn up to $6.5MM if he hits some playing time incentives, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com, although he writes they’re “not-likely-to-be-earned.”
S Darian Thompson, Cowboys: re-signed. Thompson is getting a two-year deal worth $2.5MM, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. He’s getting a $200K signing bonus and can earn an extra $250K with playing time escalators.
WR Cody Core, Giants: re-signed. New York locked up the special teams ace who barely plays on offense, and he got paid handsomely. Core will be getting $4MM over a two-year deal, Wilson tweets. Only $1MM of it is guaranteed however.
S Jordan Poyer, Bills: extension. The full details are in on Poyer’s new pact. Poyer had two new years added on and will now make $22.7MM over the next three years with $13MM of that being guaranteed, Wilson tweets. He also got a $3MM signing bonus. In a separate tweet, Wilson notes that Poyer has an annual $500K interception incentive he can earn.

Contract Details: Nassib, Alonso, Jefferson

March 17th, 2020 at 9:52pm CST by Ben Levine

Some more contract details from around the league:

DE Carl Nassib, Raiders: signed. Three-year, $25MM deal with $17MM guaranteed, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). The deal has a max value of $28MM.
LB Kiko Alonso, Saints: restructured contract. Base salary reduced from $6.4MM to $1.7MM, $4.7MM available in incentives. Already has $1.45MM roster bonus, meaning he can still hit his previous $7.85MM total via playing-time bonuses. All notes via ESPN’s Mike Triplett on Twitter.
DE Quinton Jefferson, Bills: two-year deal. Contract worth $13.5MM total, according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano on Twitter.
FB Derek Watt, Steelers: signed. Three-year deal worth $9.75MM, according to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor on Twitter.
LB Kamu Grugier-Hill, Dolphins: one-year deal. Contract worth $3MM, including $2MM signing bonus, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo on Twitter. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets that there’s up to $500K in playing time incentives.

Saints Rework CB Patrick Robinson’s Contract

March 17th, 2020 at 9:13pm CST by Ben Levine

The Saints are looking to carve out some cap space. The organization reworked the contract of cornerback Patrick Robinson, reports ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter).

As Katherine Terrell of The Athletic tweets, this move doesn’t come as much of a surprise, as the Saints weren’t going to dedicate a $6.15MM cap number to a backup. The front office made a somewhat similar move earlier this evening when they restructured Kiko Alonso‘s contract.

Robinson, a 2010 first-rounder, spent the first five seasons of his career with the Saints, but he’s bounced around since leaving in 2014. Between 2015 and 2017, the defensive back had stints with the Chargers, Colts, and Eagles.

He landed back in New Orleans in 2018, but he’s been limited to only 14 games over the past two seasons. His 2018 season was derailed by a broken ankle, and he managed to compile 16 tackles and two passes defended in 11 games this past season.

Saints, Kiko Alonso Restructure Contract

March 17th, 2020 at 7:58pm CST by Marc Delucchi

The Saints have agreed to terms on a new deal to bring linebacker Kiko Alonso back into the fold, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. New Orleans acquired Alonso in September in a trade from the Dolphins and had been set to count $8.7MM next season (assuming he was not released). Rapoport added that Alonso’s new deal will fall below that number. The Saints are currently over the salary cap, according to Over The Cap, so other cap saving measures are to be expected.

In 2019, Alonso ranked as the 19th highest graded linebacker by Pro Football Focus out of the 89 qualified players. For the first time since 2015, Alonso was not a primary linebacker, instead, New Orleans deployed him in more specialized sets to take advantage of the veteran’s skillset. In 13 games (4 starts), Alonso recorded 31 tackles (3 for loss), 2 quarterback hits, and 1 pass defended.

The 29-year old was solidly productive before he tore his ACL in the Saints Wild-Card game, but a far cry from the peak of his numbers. From 2016-18, Alonso averaged over 115 tackles per season and started 46 of 48 possible games with the Dolphins.

Panthers Interested In Saints’ Vonn Bell

March 17th, 2020 at 1:43pm CST by Zachary Links

Vonn Bell could wind up changing teams while staying in the same division. The Panthers have shown interest in the Saints’ free agent safety, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The incumbent Saints are also hoping to keep him, she adds.

Bell, an Ohio State product, has spent his entire career with the Saints since entering the league in 2016. The former second-round pick has 61 appearances and 45 starts to his credit. Last year, he started in all 13 of his games for New Orleans and tallied 89 stops plus 1.5 sacks.

For his work, Pro Football Focus ranked him as the No. 47 safety in the NFL. With the Saints, he’s helped contain the run, resulting in a 43-game streak without allowing any single rusher to hit 100 yards. He’s also displayed his hard-hitting ability with seven career forced fumbles.

The Saints would like to keep Bell, but they do have Chauncey Gardner-Johnson waiting in the wings. The Panthers, meanwhile, could use help in the secondary after losing James Bradberry to the Giants in free agency.

Saints, Drew Brees Agree To Deal

March 17th, 2020 at 9:40am CST by Zachary Links

No surprise here. Drew Brees and the Saints have agreed to a brand new deal, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).

Brees has re-upped with the team on a two-year, $50MM deal. Long ago, he confirmed that he would not be leaving the Saints, so it was just a matter of years and money.

The 19-year veteran turned down a two-year, $60M fully guaranteed deal from the Cardinals in 2018 to sign with the Saints, and he’s back on the same terms — two years, $50MM — he signed for then. This will almost certainly allow Brees to finish his career in New Orleans.

Brees, 41, is still playing at an extremely high level. The Saints, meanwhile, are also looking ahead. They’ll pass the torch from Brees to Taysom Hill this year – all while moving on from proven vet Teddy Bridgewater.

This is the fifth contract Brees has signed with New Orleans. Arriving in 2006, Brees has become by far the best and most important player in franchise history. He has become the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdown passes and moved the Saints’ playoff win total from one to nine.

The future first-ballot Hall of Famer finished second in the 2018 MVP voting and looked sharp upon returning from his thumb injury last season, completing 74% of his throws for a second straight season and throwing 27 touchdown passes in just 11 games. While he may cede more time to Hill this season, the Saints’ best chance at another Super Bowl title will almost certainly involve Brees.

Saints Make Offer To Jamie Collins

March 16th, 2020 at 7:07pm CST by Ben Levine

The Saints are eyeing Jamie Collins. Nick Underhill reports (via Twitter) that the team has made an offer to the veteran linebacker. However, the reporter cautions that “it might take more to close the deal.”

Following a two-plus year stint with the Browns, Collins reunited with the Patriots last offseason on a one-year deal. The 30-year-old ended up setting a career-high with seven sacks to go along with 81 tackles, three interceptions and three forced fumbles.

We heard earlier this month that the Saints could have interest in the veteran, even with the organization already rostering a 30-something starting linebacker in Demario Davis.

Unsurprisingly, the Patriots were also reportedly looking to retain the veteran. New England has already agreed to new deals with a pair of stalwarts in Devin McCourty and Matthew Slater.

Saints To Re-Sign DT David Onyemata

March 16th, 2020 at 4:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints reached an agreement to keep one of their top free agents off the market. They will retain defensive tackle David Onyemata, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. It’s a three-year, $27MM deal for Onyematta, Garafolo reported in a separate tweet.

Onyemata has recorded 7.5 sacks and 17 quarterback hits over the past two seasons. He moved into the Saints’ starting lineup on a full-time basis last season.

Added in the fourth round in 2016, Onyemata graded well in the opinion of Pro Football Focus in 2017 and ’18. However, PFF viewed him as a lower-level performer upon moving into the starting lineup last season. That said, the 27-year-old defender was viewed as a player who could draw interest on the market. The Saints now have him locked down hours into the tampering period.

New Orleans entered Monday with less than $5MM in cap space. The team has still yet to re-sign Drew Brees, so some maneuvering must still commence to facilitate that. But the team moved forward with Onyemata nonetheless, which appears to be a clear sign the Saints view him as a key player going forward.

Bears Interested In Teddy Bridgewater

March 16th, 2020 at 12:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bears have been in talks with Teddy Bridgewater during the legal tampering period, Mike Florio of PFT hears. The Saints don’t have the cap room to keep the quarterback, but the Bears are among the clubs interested in him and, potentially, among the teams willing to give him a starting job.

The Bears plan on sticking with Mitchell Trubisky, though they’ve signaled a desire to bring in competition. Bridgewater would fit the bill.

Florio hears that Bridgewater is in line for a deal that would pay him roughly $21MM/year. At that salary, Bridgewater would probably be anointed as the Bears’ Week 1 starter.

Bridgewater has started in only six games since January of 2016, but he’s also made a complete recovery from his devastating injury. Many believe that Bridgewater can thrive if given the opportunity to start.

Last year, Bridgewater went 5-0 as the Saints’ starter, filling in for Drew Brees while he was sidelined. Trubisky, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2017 draft, went 8-7. He had just 17 touchdowns against ten interceptions, casting doubt on his future prospects with the Bears.

Sean Payton Expects Delayed Start To Offseason

March 14th, 2020 at 9:50pm CST by Marc Delucchi

In an interview with Britney Eurton at Oaklawn Park (a horseracing track), Saints head coach Sean Payton expressed skepticism that the new league year would begin as scheduled given the current status of COVID-19. “Most immediately the start of our league year… that’s going to be, I think, pushed back.” Payton currently serves on the NFL’s competition committee and is one of the most highly respected coaches in the league.

ESPN’s Dianna Russini asked Payton to clarify his comments and reported that Payton reiterated “‘he is not sure, but thinks it will be delayed.'” While that is obviously far from any official word from the league, the fact that one of the top decision makers in one of the league’s most successful organizations is publically expecting a delay does not bode well for the calendar to continue following business as usual.

Payton’s comments do conflict with some earlier reports that suggested the league still planned to start free agency as planned while delaying other offseason events that involved more travel and in-person interaction (like the draft).

A delay would move everyone into unprecedented territory and it’s unclear how any delays would impact free agents, players currently under contract, and draft prospects, but the league is clearly bracing (much like the rest of the world) for circumstances we have never seen before.

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