Saints Notes: Payton, Benson
- Colts COO Pete Ward stated last month that an “associate” of Saints head coach Sean Payton reached out to Indianapolis about its head coaching job, but Payton denied that Friday. Payton told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that his only “associate” is agent Don Yee, who didn’t call the Colts, and the coach added that he had never even previously heard of Ward. While there were reports earlier this winter that teams – including the Colts and Rams – could explore trading for Payton, the Saints never made him available, he informed Florio.
- Payton’s boss, Saints owner Tom Benson, brought an end to a long battle Friday in settling an ownership dispute with his heirs centering on both New Orleans’ NFL franchise and the NBA’s Pelicans, details Greg LaRose of NOLA.com. If not for the settlement, the parties would have headed to trial Monday (the trial would not have impacted Benson’s control over the teams). Prior to Friday, Benson had been looking to remove ownership shares in the Saints and Pelicans from trust funds created for his daughter and grandson. The family had a falling out on account of Benson’s third wife, Gayle, whom he married in 2004 and who, in the heirs’ opinions, has too much control over Benson’s business affairs.
Saints To Re-Sign John Kuhn
Last year, John Kuhn lingered on the market until August. This time around, he has everything ironed out in early February. The Saints are re-signing Kuhn to a one-year deal with an $80K bonus, a source tells Herbie Teope of The Times-Picayune (on Twitter). 
The fullback spent the majority of his career with the Packers where he was a fan favorite. He had to adjust to a new system in New Orleans, but he handled everything quite well, grading out as Pro Football Focus’ ninth-best fullback in 2016. The veteran’s 79.7 score was roughly in line with his career average leading into last season. In addition to blocking, he also got some touches including four rushing touchdowns and 16 catches for 70 yards and one passing TD.
Kuhn will celebrate his 35th birthday before Week 1 of the 2017 season.
Saints' Jordan: Let's Draft Cornerbacks
- Many would say the Saints‘ biggest need is at defensive end, but edge rusher Cameron Jordan would rather see New Orleans put their focus in the secondary. “I’ll take a corner,” he said (link via Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune). “I’ll take two corners.” In 2016, the Saints’ nine interceptions were tied for 27th in the league. Meanwhile, they only had 30 sacks, which also placed them No. 27 in the NFL. Jordan, personally, seemed to be pulling his weight as he notched 7.5 sacks, 58 total tackles, and one forced fumble in 2016.
Saints Add Two To Coaching Staff
- The Saints have added Curtis Johnson (wide receivers) and Brad Banta (special teams) to their coaching staff, relays Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. The hiring of Johnson is no surprise, as there was informed speculation Monday that he’d return to New Orleans after rejecting a contract offer to stay in Chicago. Johnson coached the Saints’ receivers from 2006-11, and newly hired Jets offensive coordinator John Morton‘s exit opened to the door for Johnson to rejoin the club. Banta, who was with the Redskins, will take over a Saints special teams unit that ranked 27th in the league in DVOA this season.
Saints Hire Mike Nolan As Linebackers Coach
- The Saints have hired Mike Nolan to coach their linebackers, his previous employer, SiriusXM NFL Radio, announced (on Twitter). Nolan coached the Chargers’ linebackers in 2015 and has been a defensive coordinator with seven teams, though he’s best known for an 18-37 run as San Francisco’s head coach from 2005-08.
NFC Notes: 49ers, Lynch, Dominik, Saints
Here’s a quick look at the NFC:
- Before he was hired as the 49ers‘ new GM, John Lynch did not want his involvement in the search to leak out because he was afraid of league-wide perception, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com tweets. Had he not been hired, he was worried others would feel he was using his TV gig to land a job with an NFL team. Of course, some in the football world could still be of that opinion. As an ex-player and color commentator with no known ambitions of an executive job, Lynch may have had special access to information on rival teams and players.
- As of this afternoon, the 49ers have not scheduled an interview with ESPN analyst/ex-Bucs GM Mark Dominik, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). That doesn’t mean Dominik won’t be a consideration, but it may at least mean that a deal is probably not imminent between the two sides. By the same token, the Niners managed to keep the surprising hire of John Lynch under wraps.
- Saints owner Tom Benson‘s ownership lawsuit is one week away from trial, Katherine Sayre of The Times-Picayune writes. Benson is seeking to remove ownership shares in the Saints (and the NBA’s Pelicans) from trust funds created for his daughter and grandson from back when the family was still on good terms. Ultimately, the trial will not impact control over the teams. Benson maintains control by impact control over the teams.
Will Saints Move Up In This Year's Draft?
- Saints general manager Mickey Loomis has a history of trading up in the draft, but the executive told Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com that he doesn’t have a definitive process when it comes to their draft strategy. “I think it depends on how the board falls,” he said. “You just kind of have to pay attention to the players that are still available for you and what players are below them and how are you going to acquire those players.” The Saints traded up twice in last year’s draft to select second-round safety Vonn Bell and fourth-round defensive tackle David Onyemata.
[SOURCE LINK]
Saints Interview Redskins Assistant
- Busy retooling their defensive staff, the Saints also interviewed Redskins assistant special teams coach Brad Banta for their special teams coach opening, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
Saints Had Interest In Gus Bradley As LBs Coach
- The Saints were interested in hiring former Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley as their linebackers coach if he didn’t secure a defensive coordinator job this year, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Bradley, one of the more respected defensive minds in the league, drew a wide swath of DC interest, as the Redskins, 49ers, and Chargers — who ultimately hired him — all interviewed him for their coordinator position. New Orleans, meanwhile, continues to interview candidates for its LBs coach vacancy.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/25/17
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2017 league year, with players joining their respective club’s offseason 90-man rosters:
Denver Broncos
New Orleans Saints
- LS Jesse Schmitt (two-year deal)
New York Giants
- OL Adam Gettis
- OL Michael Bowie
Pittsburgh Steelers
- RB Gus Johnson
- RB Brandon Brown-Dukes
- RB Dreamius Smith
- CB Mike Hilton
- OL Keavon Milton
- OL Matt Feiler
- S Jacob Hagen
- WR Marcus Tucker
- WR Dez Stewart