Saints Worked Out Joshua Dobbs
- The Chargers, Saints, and Panthers have all worked out Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs, tweets Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com. Los Angeles and New Orleans, specifically, are both hunting for long-term signal-callers as their respective quarterbacks age, and Dobbs — a likely mid-round pick — could be an option for both clubs. A two-year starter for the Volunteers, Dobbs passed for nearly 3,000 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 12 touchdowns in his senior season. Todd McShay of ESPN.com ranks Dobbs as the sixth-best quarterback prospect in 2017.
Drew Brees To Wait Until After Season To Discuss Next Contract
Don’t expect Drew Brees to sign another extension before the season. The 38-year-old Saints quarterback is again entering a contract year but wants to wait until after the season to discuss another deal to stay in New Orleans. Brees said waiting until the end of the year is best for himself and the team, Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com reports. Brees’ one-year extension from 2016 will pay him $24.25MM this season.
The 17th-year quarterback is also not exactly endorsing the Saints taking a signal-caller early. While that may be in the best interest of the franchise post-Brees, the current starter doesn’t want a high draft pick that will sit behind him and not help the team in 2017.
Rafael Bush's One-Year Deal With Saints Worth $885K
- Safety Rafael Bush‘s one-year deal with the Saints is worth $885K, reports Wilson (via Twitter). $775K of that will come via the player’s salary (with $100K guaranteed), with another $80K coming via a signing bonus.
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Details On Rafael Bush's Contract
- Safety Rafael Bush’s one-year deal with the Saints is worth $855,000, including $100K in guarantees and an $80K signing bonus, tweets Nick Underhill of The Advocate.
Saints Could Draft Joe Mixon In Round 2
- At least five teams won’t consider drafting controversial Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon, per Miller, who notes that “many” others “are digging in hard” on the 20-year-old. The Saints are among the latter clubs, with Miller reporting they could reel in Mixon in Round 2 (No. 42). Head coach Sean Payton said earlier this week that the Saints plan to meet with Mixon soon.
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Eagles’ Malcolm Jenkins On Trade Rumors
Earlier this month, the Eagles reportedly offered up Malcolm Jenkins and draft picks to the Saints for Brandin Cooks. Ultimately, Cooks went to the Patriots and top exec Howie Roseman came out swinging against talk that the safety was made available. Now, comments from Jenkins himself seem to confirm that he was in fact being discussed with New Orleans. 
“His message was that they want me to be an Eagle,” Jenkins said as he recounted a recent conversation with Roseman (via CSNPhilly.com’s Dave Zangaro). “They love what I’m doing on the field, they love what I’m doing in the community and they want me to be a big part of what they do from a long-term standpoint. But at the same time, if somebody is going to offer something ridiculously high for me that he thinks is in the best interest of the team then he would definitely consider, which he would with anybody. And I understand that. So that doesn’t give me any anxiety or any worry.”
Jenkins added that he thinks he would have been involved in the deal, for the right price. Although he’s still playing at a high level, Jenkins will turn 30 in December and he probably shouldn’t be considered an untouchable. It seems like Roseman denied the trade talk in order to avoid things getting awkward for the veteran. Fortunately for him, Jenkins seems to be taking it all in stride.
Jenkins is signed through 2020. He is scheduled to carry cap hits of $7.5MM, $10MM, $9.75MM, and $9.25MM in each of the next four seasons.
Details On John Phillips' Contract
- Tight end John Phillips‘ one-year contract with the Saints is a minimum salary benefit deal worth $980K, including an $80K signing bonus, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
Saints To Sign S Rafael Bush
The Saints are signing safety Rafael Bush, according to Nick Underhill of The Advocate (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal, per a team announcement. This marks a return to New Orleans for Bush after spending the 2016 season with the Lions. 
Heading into Thursday, we had Bush ranked as the sixth-best safety available on the open market. Bush primarily saw time at free safety during his first New Orleans stint, but last year the Lions utilized him at a number of spots in the secondary. All in all, he finished out with 48 tackles, two interceptions, three passes defensed, and his first career sack. He appeared in every regular season contest, including four starts. Bush finished out as the 65th best safety in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. It was a solid showing after a torn pectoral muscle limited him to only one game in 2015.
Bush now joins a crowded safety depth chart that includes starters Vonn Bell and Kenny Vaccaro plus reserves Robenson Therezie, Chris Banjo, Shiloh Keo, and Erik Harris. Bush now becomes the first “new” secondary player to join the Saints in this calendar year.
Details On Chase Daniel’s Saints Deal
Chase Daniel will be making solid money for a backup quarterback, but not in the conventional way. His Saints contract will pay him a guaranteed base salary of $900K, according to a source who spoke with Mike Florio of PFT. The real money comes in the form of guaranteed cash still owed to him by the Eagles. 
Daniel’s deal with Philly included $5MM in guaranteed salary, so he’ll collect on $4.1MM from his former team with the remainder coming from New Orleans. On top of that, he can earn as much as $3MM through incentives, but I would speculate that those bonuses will be tied to playing time. If that’s the case, the only real opportunity to make that extra money will be if Drew Brees gets hurt and Daniel fills in. Because the Eagles agreed to reduce his offset to $2MM, they would get the first $1.1MM of any incentive payments, according to Florio. All in all, that means Daniel can personally max out at $6.9MM for the coming year.
Florio also hears that Daniel was offered better contracts by other teams. Ostensibly, Daniel chose New Orleans for the opportunity to replace the aging Brees as well as his familiarity with the organization. It’s not clear which teams were also in the mix for his services, but Daniel did meet with the Jets before agreeing to sign with the Saints.
Saints Re-Sign TE John Phillips
The Saints have re-signed tight end John Phillips to a one-year deal, the club announced today.
Phillips joined the Saints last November after New Orleans claimed him off waivers from Denver. Over the next two months, Phillips appeared in eight games (four starts) for the Saints, and played on 18.8% of the club’s offensive snaps. The 29-year-old mostly served as a blocker during that time, as he posted only five receptions on seven targets. Phillips does offer special teams value, as well, as he saw time on roughly a fifth of the Saints’ ST snaps in 2016.
In 2017, Phillips will likely play the same role he did last year, acting as New Orleans’ third tight end behind Coby Fleener and Josh Hill. A seven-year veteran, Phillips has never been much of an offensive force, but he did manage 15 catches back in 2011. In addition to the Saints and Broncos, Phillips has also spent time with the Chargers and Cowboys.
Although terms of Phillips’ deal weren’t released, he likely signed a pact at or near the veteran minimum.