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New Orleans Saints News & Rumors

Saints Sign K Wil Lutz To Active Roster

September 6th, 2016 at 2:46pm CST by Zachary Links

Could the Saints be making a change at kicker? One day after agreeing to add kicker Wil Lutz to their taxi squad, the Saints are instead signing him to the 53-man roster, according to agent John Perla Jr. (on Twitter). Saints general helmet (Featured)

Just a few days ago, the Saints cut fellow kicker Connor Barth, which seemingly meant that Forbath had won the kicking competition. The Saints were fond of Barth too and coach Sean Payton acknowledged that the team had a tough time deciding between them. It seems unlikely that the Saints would carry two kickers, so one has to wonder if Forbath could be injured.

Lutz had a tryout with the Saints on Monday, Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune tweets. He made all of his short kicks and while he nailed a few tries from the high 50s, he did miss two attempts from 50+. Lutz was let go by the Ravens when the team cut down to 75. The UDFA out of Georgia State connected on 27 of his 39 field goal tries in college and made 98.1% of his extra point attempts.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Drew Brees Seeking $100MM Deal

September 5th, 2016 at 7:24pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Saints and quarterback Drew Brees have restarted contract extension talks over the past week and will make a push to reach a deal before Sunday’s opener, reports Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Brees, who has made it known that he doesn’t want to discuss his contract during the season, is seeking a four-year, $100MM pact, according to La Canfora (Twitter links).

Drew Brees

Brees’ asking price is a lofty one for a 37-year-old, especially considering no other NFLer averages $25MM per annum. However, the future Pro Football Hall of Famer hasn’t shown serious signs of aging to this point. Brees, a 16th-year man, is coming off his eighth straight season with at least 30 touchdown passes. He also eclipsed the 4,800-yard mark for the fifth consecutive year.

If the Saints and Brees aren’t able to find common ground by Sunday, the odds of this being his final season in New Orleans would seem to increase significantly. Applying the franchise tag to Brees next offseason would cost the Saints $43.2MM, which is certainly an unpalatable figure. As of now, Brees is set to count a quarterback-leading $30MM against the Saints’ cap and rake in $19.75MM – the second-highest base salary for a signal-caller – to conclude the five-year, $100MM contract he inked with the Saints in 2012. That deal made Brees the highest-paid player in league history, but several others have since passed him.

During his 10-year run in New Orleans, the ex-Charger has missed just two games, led the Saints to a 94-64 regular-season record, five playoff appearances, and a Super Bowl title to cap off the 2009-10 campaign. Along the way, Brees has thrown 348 touchdowns, recorded three 5,000-yard seasons, made eight Pro Bowls, and established himself as the Saints’ all-time best player.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Saints Waive Ashaad Mabry

September 5th, 2016 at 6:55pm CST by Ben Levine
  • The Saints waived defensive tackle Ashaad Mabry, tweets Nick Underhill of The New Orleans Advocate. Mabry also made the Saints initial roster in 2015, but was waived days later. The former UTSA standout spent last season on New Orleans’ practice squad.

    [SOURCE LINK]

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/5/16

September 5th, 2016 at 6:37pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Here are Monday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: CB Trey Caldwell, P Michael Palardy, RB Terrell Watson (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com)
  • Cut: OL Kaleb Johnson

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Signed: DB Julian Wilson (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun)

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Signed: CB C.J. Smith, WR Paul Turner (Twitter link via Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com)
  • Cut: Quentin Gause

Seattle Seahawks

  • Signed: DT Justin Hamilton (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times)

Saints Sign Darryl Tapp, Travaris Cadet

September 5th, 2016 at 5:03pm CST by Ben Levine

After being cut this weekend, a pair of Saints are returning to the active roster. Nick Underhill of the New Orleans Advocate tweets that the Saints have signed defensive end Darryl Tapp and running back Travaris Cadet. The team has also placed defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins on the injured reserve.

Travaris Cadet (vertical)Tapp joined the Saints in July after having played the past two seasons with the Lions. The 31-year-old, who has been in the league since 2006, has never missed more than five games in a season, and he’s compiled 27.5 career sacks in ten NFL seasons. Tapp played in all 16 games with Detroit in 2015, finishing with 19 tackles and two sacks.

Cadet re-signed with the Saints in March. The 27-year-old spent the 2015 season with the Patriots, 49ers, and Saints, finishing with 28 yards on 11 attempts. He also hauled in 16 catches for 212 yards and a touchdown.

Rankins, a defensive tackle out of Louisville, was the Saints first-round selection in this past year’s draft. The rookie was expected to compete with Nick Fairley, Tyeler Davison, and John Jenkins for playing time.

Saints To Sign Paul Kruger

September 5th, 2016 at 4:30pm CST by Zachary Links

TODAY, 4:30pm: Nick Underhill of the New Orleans Advocate has the details on Kruger’s deal with the Saints.

While the deal is for three years and is accompanied by a $2.1MM signing bonus, the final two years of the contract can be voided. Therefore, in reality, the deal is really for one season.

Kruger will make a base salary of $900K in 2016, and (if he sticks around) will see that salary increase to $1MM in 2017 and 2018. The signing bonus will remain $700K through each of the three years, and the cap hit will decrease from $1.6MM in 2016 to $700K in 2017 and 2018.

AUGUST 31, 8:05am: Former Browns pass-rusher Paul Kruger is signing with the Saints, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Kruger visited with New Orleans and Kansas City this week but ultimately chose to join up with Sean Payton & Co. Paul Kruger (vertical)

A few years ago, Kruger was a top target of the Saints in free agency. However, they were outbid by the Browns who gave him a five-year free agent deal worth $40.5MM, including $13MM guaranteed. Years later, they have acquired Kruger at a much lower price.

After notching 11.0 sacks in 2014, Kruger only had 2.5 sacks in 2015. Apparently, he struggled on the practice field this summer, prompting Cleveland to release him. Still, the Saints are hoping that Kruger can get back to his 2013/2014 form as they deal with injuries in the front seven.

“He still affects the passer,” Payton said on a teleconference Tuesday when asked about Kruger visiting (via Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune). “You see a pressure player. He rushes with power. I think you see a high motor and a guy that plays extremely strong.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Saints, Max Unger Agree To Extension

September 5th, 2016 at 3:50pm CST by Zachary Links

MONDAY, 3:50pm: Nick Underhill of the New Orleans Advocate passes along details of Unger’s contract. In total, the contract holds an average annual value of $7.4MM while also including a $7MM signing bonus and $14.3MM in guaranteed money.

Unger’s base salary will be at $850K in 2016, and it increases to $1.7MM (2017, fully guaranteed), $4.5MM (2018, $1MM guaranteed), and $5.1MM (2019, no guarantee). The cap hits, meanwhile, increase from $4.35MM in 2016 to $7.4MM (2017), $8MM (2018), and $8.7MM (2019)

FRIDAY, 9:15am: The Saints and center Max Unger have agreed to a three-year extension, as Herbie Teope of The Times-Picayune writes. The new three-year deal will give Unger an annual salary of $7MM+. Max Unger (vertical)

Unger, 30, started all 16 games for New Orleans last season after the Jimmy Graham trade brought him in from Seattle. Prior to his new deal, Unger was slated to play out the 2016 season for a $4.45MM base before entering the free agent market.

Unger was obviously not the focal point of the Seahawks-Saints trade last year, but he did offer an impressive pedigree of his own. Over the course of his career, the Oregon product has earned two Pro Bowl nods (2012, 2013) and one First-Team All-Pro selection (2012) with 83 games (all starts) on his resume. Meanwhile, Graham went from one of the league’s best tight ends to something of an afterthought in Seattle. He is now trying to get back on track after undergoing serious knee surgery.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC South

September 4th, 2016 at 9:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC South teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are noted below.

Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.

Here are Sunday’s NFC South transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day. All links go to Twitter unless otherwise noted:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Waiver Wire Priority For All 32 NFL Teams

September 4th, 2016 at 9:46am CST by Zachary Links

Yesterday was the 53-man roster deadline, but the madness will continue today as teams pick through the waiver pile for talented discards. Priority is dictated by the reverse standings with tiebreakers where necessary, which is to say that it will be the same as the 2016 draft order before all the trades. Unlike your fantasy league’s waiver wire, a team does not go to the back of the list upon making a successful claim. That means that the league’s worst teams from 2015 have a significant advantage today as they make late roster additions.

Here is the complete waiver priority order:

1. Titans

2. Browns

3. Chargers

4. Cowboys

5. Jaguars

6. Ravens

7. 49ers

8. Dolphins

9. Buccaneers

10. Giants

11. Bears

12. Saints

13. Eagles

14. Raiders

15. Rams

16. Lions

17. Falcons

18. Colts

19. Bills

20. Jets

21. Redskins

22. Texans

23. Vikings

24. Bengals

25. Seahawks

26. Packers

27. Steelers

28. Chiefs

29. Patriots

30. Cardinals

31. Panthers

32. Broncos

Josh Sitton To Visit Bears; Saints Also?

September 4th, 2016 at 9:11am CST by Zachary Links

After the Packers cut Josh Sitton loose on Saturday, upwards of ten teams expressed interest in the Pro Bowl guard. Now, he has his first visit lined up with the division-rival Bears, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Saints could be next on the docket for him, Schefter adds. Josh Sitton (vertical)

Sitton, 30, is a three-time Pro Bowler who has long been considered one of the best — if not the best — guards in the NFL, so the Packers’ willingness to move on from him certainly came as a surprise. In eight seasons in Green Bay, Sitton appeared in 121 games, starting 112, while delivering dominant results on the interior of the offensive line.

Last year, Sitton graded out as the sixth-best guard in the NFL, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. He received a strong 91.1 pass blocking grade (tied for fourth-best in the NFL) with a still respectable 81.2 mark against the run.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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