New Orleans Saints Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Saints Cut DT Tony McDaniel

February 6th, 2018 at 11:55am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints announced that they have released defensive tackle Tony McDaniel. McDaniel was already scheduled for free agency in March, so his return to New Orleans was never assured.

McDaniels hooked on with the Saints in late December for his second stint with the team. The 33-year-old’s first go ’round came over the summer when he appeared in all four preseason games with the team before being released at the start of the season. In between those two New Orleans trips, McDaniel also appeared in four games for the 49ers.

All in all, McDaniels wound up appearing in just one regular season game for the Saints as well as their first round playoff win against the Panthers. An undisclosed injury in the Carolina game landed him on injured reserve, ruling him out for the divisional round game against the Vikings.

Now that McDaniel and fellow defensive lineman Nick Fairley have been released, the Saints have two vacant spots on their roster. It is expected that the Saints will use those openings to formally sign wide receiver Josh Huff and linebacker Jayrone Elliott. The Saints agreed to terms with both players in January, but the NFL nullified the deals because the team was already at the 90-man maximum.

Saints Cut DT Nick Fairley

February 5th, 2018 at 5:06pm CST by Ben Levine

Nick Fairley‘s tenure with the Saints has come to an end. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the team has cut the defensive tackle with a non-football illness designation.

Fairley signed a four-year, $28MM ($14MM guaranteed) deal with the Saints this past offseason. However, he was shelved prior to the season after a team doctor discovered a heart condition. After receiving multiple opinions, the organization ultimately placed the defensive lineman on the non-football illness list.

Yates tweets that Fairley was due a $750,000 roster bonus this week, and his $4.25MM salary also would have become fully-guaranteed at this time. Nick Underhill of The Advocate tweets that the grievance over that money is still ongoing. Both sides had previously filed a grievance with the NFL’s Management Council over how much guaranteed money would ultimately be owed to the 30-year-old.

The 2011 first-round pick spent the first four seasons of his career with the Lions before bouncing between the Rams and Saints. In 2016, Fairley finished with 43 tackles and a career-high 6.5 sacks for New Orleans.

Updated 2018 NFL Draft Order

February 5th, 2018 at 8:54am CST by Zachary Links

With the Super Bowl in the books, we now know the draft order for the entire first round of the 2018 draft. Here’s the rundown:

1. Cleveland Browns (0-16)

2. New York Giants (3-13)

3. Indianapolis Colts (4-12)

4. Cleveland Browns (via the 4-12 Houston Texans)

5. Denver Broncos (5-11)

6. New York Jets (5-11)

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-11)

8. Chicago Bears (5-11)

T-9. Oakland Raiders (6-10)

T-9. San Francisco 49ers (6-10) (Note: The Raiders and 49ers have identical records and the same strength of schedule. The tie will be broken by a coin flip with the winner getting pick No. 9 and the other club receiving the No. 10 pick.)

11. Miami Dolphins (6-10)

12. Cincinnati Bengals (7-9)

13. Washington Redskins (7-9)

14. Green Bay Packers (7-9)

15. Arizona Cardinals (8-8)

16. Baltimore Ravens (9-7)

17. Los Angeles Chargers (9-7)

18. Seattle Seahawks (9-7)

19. Dallas Cowboys (9-7)

20. Detroit Lions (9-7)

21. Buffalo Bills (9-7)

22. Buffalo Bills (via the 10-6 Kansas City Chiefs)

23. Los Angeles Rams (11-5)

24. Carolina Panthers (11-5)

25. Tennessee Titans (9-7)

26. Atlanta Falcons (10-6)

27. New Orleans Saints (11-5)

28. Pittsburgh Steelers (13-3)

29. Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6)

30. Minnesota Vikings (13-3)

31. New England Patriots (13-3)

32. Philadelphia Eagles (13-3)

Eagles Nearly Traded For Brandin Cooks

February 4th, 2018 at 10:40am CST by Rory Parks

Brandin Cooks had a successful first season in New England, posting 1,082 yards and seven touchdowns for the AFC champions after he was acquired from the Saints last offseason in exchange for a first-round draft pick. However, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports, Cooks was very nearly traded to the Eagles, the team he will be playing against in tonight’s Super Bowl.

Per Rapoport, the Eagles had agreed to trade safety Malcolm Jenkins, a third-round pick, and two fourth-rounders to New Orleans for Cooks, but the trade was scuttled at the last minute.

It is impossible to say how the deal would have impacted the Saints, Patriots, or Eagles, but at least from Philadelphia’s perspective, it is probably for the best that it did not happen. If it had, the Eagles likely would not have signed Alshon Jeffery, who was terrific in his first season in Philly, and they would have sorely missed Jenkins, who earned a Pro Bowl nod this year.

Plus, the third-rounder that would have been sent to New Orleans ended up being used in a separate trade to acquire Timmy Jernigan, and one of the fourth-rounders was used on promising young wideout Mack Hollins. All in all, then, it seems as if all parties involved are happy with the way things worked out.

2018 Proven Performance Escalators

January 31st, 2018 at 10:02pm CST by Dallas Robinson

According to the NFL’s contractual bargaining agreement, players drafted in rounds three though seven are entitled to raises during the fourth year of their respective rookie contracts. The pay bumps are tied to playing time — a player must have played in 35% of his team’s offensive or defensive snaps in two of his first three seasons, or averaged 35% playing time cumulatively during that period.

If one of these thresholds is met, the player’s salary is elevated to the level of that year’s lowest restricted free agent tender — that figure should be around $1.908MM in 2018. Players selected in the first or second round, undrafted free agents, and kickers/punters are ineligible for the proven performance escalator.

Here are the players who will see their salary rise in 2018 courtesy of the proven performance escalator:

49ers: Trent Brown, T; Eli Harold, LB

Bears: Adrian Amos, S

Bengals: Tyler Kroft, TE; Josh Shaw, DB

Bills: John Miller, G

Broncos: Max Garcia, G; Trevor Siemian, QB

Browns: Duke Johnson, RB

Buccaneers: Kwon Alexander, LB

Cardinals: David Johnson, RB; J.J. Nelson, WR

Chargers: Kyle Emanuel, LB

Chiefs: Chris Conley, WR; Steven Nelson, CB

Colts: Henry Anderson, DE; Mark Glowinski, G; Denzelle Good, OL

Dolphins: Bobby McCain, CB

Eagles: Jay Ajayi, RB; Jordan Hicks, LB

Falcons: Grady Jarrett, DT

Jaguars: A.J. Cann, OL

Lions: Quandre Diggs, CB

Packers: Jake Ryan, LB

Panthers: Daryl Williams, T

Patriots: Trey Flowers, DE; Shaq Mason, G

Raiders: Clive Walford, TE

Rams: Jamon Brown, G

Ravens: Za’Darius Smith, LB

Redskins: T.J. Clemmings, OL; Jamison Crowder, WR

Saints: Tyeler Davison, DT

Seahawks: Tyler Lockett, WR

Steelers: Jesse James, TE

Vikings: Stefon Diggs, WR; Danielle Hunter, DE

OverTheCap.com was essential in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

League Disapproves Saints’ Deals With WR Josh Huff, LB Jayrone Elliott

January 29th, 2018 at 9:31pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints’ contracts for linebacker Jayrone Elliott and wide receiver Josh Huff were disapproved by the league, according to the league’s transactions wire. It’s not immediately clear why the deals were voided, but Herbie Teope of the Times-Picayne (Twitter link) notes that the Saints were at the 90-man roster maximum before agreeing to deals with both players. It’s possible that the Saints just have to make a pair of roster moves before bringing both players back.

The Saints plan on bringing Huff back, Teope hears (on Twitter), but we have no word on Elliott one way or another just yet. The pair signed futures deals with New Orleans last week but are now considered free agents.

The Saints now must address their roster issue and refile with the league if it intends to bring one or both players back.

Huff entered the league in 2014 as a third-round pick with the Eagles. He has tallied 51 catches for 523 yards and four touchdowns. Signed by the Buccaneers down the stretch in 2016, Huff was cut heading into 2017. He worked out for the Saints on two occasions during the season.

Undrafted in 2014, Elliott spent three seasons with the Packers before joining the Cowboys in 2017. He has posted four sacks and an interception in 39 career games.

Saints Notes: Brees, Mayfield, Fairley

January 24th, 2018 at 8:30pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Drew Brees has already claimed that he has no intention of testing the free agent market, and Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said today that doesn’t anticipate any “big issues” in negotiating a new deal for the the veteran quarterback, according to Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com. However, Loomis did admit the Saints and Brees have not yet entered into talks regarding a fresh contract. New Orleans used a void provision when it re-signed Brees prior to the 2016 campaign, so if the club fails to ink another deal with its 39-year-old signal-caller this offseason, it will absorb an $18MM dead money charge in 2018.

Here’s more from New Orelans:

Speaking of quarterbacks, Saints head coach Sean Payton is “squarely in the camp” of Oklahoma passer Baker Mayfield defenders, reports Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links). Aside from boasting a similar stature to Brees, Mayfield reportedly has a “wicked competitive streak” that will fit in with the Saints’ culture. Per Robinson, former New Orleans quarterback Garrett Grayson “got steamrolled mentally” while trying to keep up with Brees’ competitiveness, but Mayfield may not have that issue. Given Brees’ age, the Saints shouldn’t be ruled out as a potential contender for a first-round quarterback in the 2018 draft.
The Saints have filed a grievance in an attempt to recoup some of the money paid to defensive tackle Nick Fairley, who was forced to sit out the 2017 season due to a heart condition, as Joel Erickson of the Advocate writes. This was the expected outcome, as New Orleans began exploring ways to recover portions of Fairley’s salary last summer. Coming off a career year in 2016, Fairley signed a four-year, $28MM contract with the Saints that contained $9MM in full guarantees. He’s already been paid a $8MM signing bonus and a $1MM base salary for 2017, and he’s due a $4.25MM base salary in 2018 that is guaranteed for injury only.
Loomis & Co. have been busy with offseason work since the Saints’ postseason run ended, and the club made two notable futures signings over the past week, agreeing to terms with wide receiver Josh Huff and linebacker Jayrone Elliott.

Saints Get Pick From Adrian Peterson Trade

January 24th, 2018 at 4:34pm CST by Zachary Links

When the Saints shipped Adrian Peterson to the Cardinals in March, they received a conditional sixth-round draft pick in return for the future Hall of Fame running back. On Wednesday, Saints GM Mickey Loomis confirmed that those conditions have been met and the pick will in fact be conveyed to New Orleans (Twitter link via Joel Erickson of The Advocate).

Peterson averaged just 3.5 yards per carry for the Cardinals as he filled in for David Johnson, but he did show flashes of his old self on a couple of occasions. In his first game with Arizona, Peterson ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns off of 26 attempts. A couple of weeks later, he racked up 159 rushing yards against the Niners. It’s not clear what the conditions of the trade were, but he did enough to satisfy them and give the Saints a return on the deal.

Meanwhile, Peterson’s future in Arizona is in flux. The veteran remains under contract for one more season, but the Cardinals could save $3.5MM against the cap by releasing him. With Johnson returning, the Cardinals could apply that money elsewhere and turn to a younger, cheaper back as insurance. For his part, Peterson says he intends to play in 2018.

Saints Sign LB Jayrone Elliott

January 23rd, 2018 at 1:04pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints signed linebacker Jayrone Elliott to a futures deal, as Nick Underhill of The Advocate tweets. The former Packer and Cowboy is now slated to be a part of the team’s 90-man roster and will push to make the final 53-man cut in September.

Elliott joined the Packers as a UDFA in 2014 and appeared in 38 games for the team over the course of three years. Before the final cuts in 2017, Elliott was shipped to the Cowboys in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick. The Packers never collected on that pick, however, as Elliott was cut after two games.

After getting dumped by Dallas, Elliott hit the workout circuit with auditions for the Seahawks, Colts, Jets, 49ers, Texans, Redskins, Patriots, Giants, Saints, Chiefs, Broncos, and Browns. Although more than 1/3 of the league kicked the tires on him, Elliott did not sign with any other club in 2017.

Elliott amassed four sacks and 47 tackles in his three years with Green Bay. He’s not a superstar, but the Saints know the value of having depth at the linebacker position after losing Hau’oli Kikaha, A.J. Klein, Nathan Stupar, and Alex Anzalone to IR at various points in 2017.