New Orleans Saints News & Rumors

Saints Notes: Vaccaro, Melifonwu

  • Next season stands as the final year of Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro‘s rookie contract, meaning it could could be his last hurrah in New Orleans. However, he’d rather ink an extension with the Saints than test free agency next spring. “I want to play for the Saints. I love the team,” Vaccaro told Nick Underhill of The Advocate. “I love coach (Sean) Payton. Coach Payton is going to be here. We got a good young team. I think we’re a couple of pieces away from getting to back to where we were my rookie year. I don’t want to leave that. The grass isn’t always greener.” Vaccaro isn’t “pressing” for a deal, but he does expect the Saints to enter negotiations with him “after all the offseason stuff” is out of the way. The 27-year-old has been a strong contributor to the Saints’ defense since going 15th overall in the 2013 draft, though he is coming off a suspension-shortened season.
  • With Vaccaro’s future in New Orleans uncertain, the Saints had UConn safety Obi Melifonwu in for an official visit Monday, which Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball first reported (Twitter link). Melifonwu is the 45th-best prospect in this year’s draft class, opines Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com. The four-year starter “has a rare blend of size and speed for the position,” notes Jeremiah.

Details On Adrian Peterson's Visit With The Saints

  • Free agent running back Adrian Peterson has confirmed to ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson that he will indeed be meeting with the Saints (Twitter link). The veteran will travel to New Orleans on Monday and visit with the Saints on Tuesday. The 32-year-old appeared in only three games last season, compiling 72 yards on 37 carries. The Saints are currently rostering four running backs in Mark IngramTravaris Cadet, Daniel Lasco, and Marcus Murphy.

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Holder: Saints Still Likely To Acquire Malcolm Butler

One of Garoppolo’s New England teammates, cornerback Malcolm Butler, has also been a prominent part of trade rumors this offseason. While the Patriots’ intention is to keep Butler, according to owner Robert Kraft, Larry Holder of NOLA.com anticipates that they’ll ultimately deal him to the Saints (video via NFL.com). New Orleans has chased Butler, a restricted free agent, and has reportedly had productive long-term contract discussions with him. The Saints aren’t willing to give up the No. 11 overall pick for Butler, but they could dangle the 32nd selection, which they acquired from the Pats in the Brandin Cooks trade.

Opinion: Sherman Makes Sense For Saints

  • Former NFL executive and current ESPN.com analyst Joe Banner sees the Darrelle Revis trade of 2013 as a possible comp for a Sherman deal. The Jets received a first-round pick in 2013 and a fourth-round pick in 2014 in exchange for the corner. Meanwhile, Sheil Kapadia huddled up with his fellow beat writers to figure out landing spots that would make sense for Sherman. The writers say the Saints, Packers, Titans, and Patriots all make varying degrees of sense.

Saints To Meet With Adrian Peterson

The Saints will meet Adrian Peterson next week, a source tells NFL.com’s Heath Evans (Twitter link). This will mark Peterson’s third free agent visit of the offseason. NFL: Minnesota Vikings at St. Louis Rams

[RELATED: Will The Saints Take An RB At No. 11? Check Out PFR’s Mock Draft]

Previously, Peterson met with the Seahawks and Patriots, but there’s little chance of him landing in Seattle and the odds of him going to New England don’t seem all that high either. The Seahawks are already well set at running back with Eddie Lacy, C.J. Prosise, and Thomas Rawls on the depth chart. The Patriots, meanwhile, have five running backs under contract after re-signing Brandon Bolden this week.

The Saints have Mark Ingram as their top running back with Travaris Cadet, Daniel Lasco, and Marcus Murphy in support. A backfield starring Ingram and Peterson would be lethal and would help keep defenses honest against the Saints’ pass-heavy offense. The Saints’ exact level of interest in Peterson isn’t clear, but they’re at least curious about him after losing Tim Hightower to free agency. Peterson, meanwhile, is looking to join a contender and, depending on how the rest of the offseason goes, the Saints could fit the bill.

It will be interesting to see whether the Saints are simply meeting with Peterson or if they will also put him through a workout. Peterson’s recent powwow with the Patriots included some drills.

Jahri Evans Wants To Continue Playing

Heading into the start of free agency, we had Jahri Evans ranked as the fifth-best interior offensive lineman available. One month later, all of the players ranked ahead of Evans and all of the players ranked beneath him on that top 15 list come off of the board, but Evans remains. Undeterred by the way his free agency has played out, Evans says that he still wants to play in 2017. Jahri Evans (vertical)

Not at all,” Evans told NFL Network (video link, via Twitter) when asked if this would be the end of the line. “I had a good season last year. We did a lot of good things, and I’m just waiting for that phone call, [waiting for] the right situation. As long I’m playing at an elite level, I’ll still strap on that helmet and give it a go.”

In my mind, the 33-year-old (34 in August) has proven that he still has something left in the tank. Last year, he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 36 guard in the NFL. His 78.6 overall score is roughly in line with the work he has done over the past four NFL seasons.

It’s not clear where Evans will wind up, but it doesn’t seem likely that he’ll return to New Orleans after sending out a farewell to Saints fans via social media earlier this year. Evans has never played a regular season (or playoff) game for another franchise since being drafted by the Saints in 2006. Over the course of his eleven seasons in New Orleans, Evans racked up six Pro Bowl nods and four First-Team All-Pro selections.

Mickey Loomis Confirms Meeting With Joe Mixon

While Saints general manager Mickey Loomis confessed the club’s meeting with Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon went well, he wouldn’t dive into the specifics the meeting, as Josh Katzenstein of the Times-Picayune tweets. A number of clubs have already ruled out drafting Mixon, but New Orleans isn’t among those teams. If they select Mixon, they’d pair the controversial back with Mark Ingram in an excellent backfield.

Saints Notes: Barnett, Njoku

Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett has held workouts with the Patriots, Bengals, Saints, and Titans, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). Barnett, who posted 33 sacks during three years with the Volunteers, is expected to be selected in the first half of Day 1, and I projected Cincinnati to take him at pick No. 9 in the first edition of PFR’s Mock Draft. The Buccaneers and Cowboys have also expressed interest in Barnett, who stands 6’3″, 265 pounds.

  • Miami tight end David Njoku is scheduled to visit with the Saints, Browns, and Giants, as Njoku said during an appearance on Pro Football Talk Live. New York, specifically, could be an intriguing landing spot for Njoku, and Big Blue is reportedly “very high” on the 20-year-old pass-catcher. Widely viewed as the draft’s second-best tight end behind Alabama’s O.J. Howard, Njoku will likely be a first-round selection. He’s also been linked to the Buccaneers, Titans, and Panthers.

Saints To Release QB Luke McCown

The Saints plan to release quarterback Luke McCown today, according to a source who spoke with Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune (on Twitter). McCown has been Drew Brees‘ backup since 2013, but he was effectively squeezed out of that role when the team signed Chase Daniel earlier this offseason. Luke McCownComments from Brees late last week seemed to hint that McCown’s time in New Orleans was coming to a close.

I love Luke. I had four great years with Luke. Luke was such a pro,” Brees said. “He was so great in the room because he’s seen and played so much football. He was really a wealth of knowledge and just a calm presence and just fun to be around.”

In theory, the Saints probably could have kept McCown as a QB3 since he was only slated to carry a $1.75MM cap number. Instead, the Saints are cutting him loose to save $1.5MM with just $250K in dead money. In his four years with the Saints, McCown completed 32 of 40 passes for 335 yards with one interception and no touchdowns. He did not see the field in 2016.

With Daniel in place as a solid QB2, the Saints could now draft a developmental quarterback or perhaps take on a young project player. It will be interesting to see if Johnny Manziel, who met with coach Sean Payton last month, gets any further consideration from the club.

Why Chase Daniel Signed With Saints

  • Count the Saints among the clubs that may consider Mixon, as the controversial prospect met with New Orleans today, tweets Nick Underhill of the Advocate. While a number of teams, including New England and Miami have ruled out selecting Mixon due to an assault incident, the Saints are reportedly among the clubs “digging in” on the 20-year-old. In New Orleans, Mixon would pair with Mark Ingram to give the Saints a lethal running back combination.
  • While Chase Daniel had other proposals on the table, the longtime backup chose a reunion with the Saints in part because Drew Brees‘ contract expires after 2017, as Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com writes. “[Brees] could play until he’s 45 if he wanted to,” Daniel said. “And the way his contract is sort of set up, yeah, it’s the last year of his contract, but for me, I’d be crazy to say that didn’t play a little bit into effect to come here, to play behind Drew again, to learn this offense, to get noticed in this offense and to see where it takes me.” Daniel, however, only signed for a single season, as well.