- The Saints held pre-draft visits with Washington linebacker Travis Feeney and Nebraska offensive lineman Alex Lewis, reports Joel Erickson of the Advocate. Both prospects project as Day 3 picks, and Lewis is particularly interesting as the college tackle could be moved inside to guard at the pro level.
- Drew Brees reportedly being willing to restructure his $30MM cap number to help the Saints sign Norman struck Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio as a PR move as the 15th-year quarterback prepares for questions about that figure, which is by the largest in the league in 2016 — $6MM clear of Eli Manning‘s $24MM cap charge. Florio believes Brees was the source for the ESPN.com report that emerged after Norman signed with Washington, and the writer categorizes it as a calculated salvo from Brees in an attempt to preempt backlash that could come from fans realizing his 2016 cap hold was the main reason New Orleans couldn’t afford Norman or a player of his ilk earlier in free agency. The perpetually cap-strapped Saints cut Jahri Evans and Marques Colston in March, making the two Bayou icons the latest such casualties. The Saints have the least amount of space in the league at $2.9MM.
- One of the receivers the Texans brought in for a visit, Leonte Carroo acknowledged the team is looking for a receiver to pair with DeAndre Hopkins, whom the Rutgers prospect spoke to during his Houston tour, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports. “That’s what I’m excited about, that they’re looking for a wide receiver,” Carroo told Wilson. “I fit their system very well. They could use a big, physical receiver like myself on the other side from Hopkins. I feel like I could help them tremendously.” Houston has essentially been seeking a quality No. 2 wideout during the franchise’s entire run, with Kevin Walter‘s late-2000s work representing the best the Texans have coaxed from this role. Carroo also visited the Saints, Patriots and Dolphins and worked out at the Jets’ and Giants’ local pro days.
- The Saints reportedly made a late push to sign Norman, and Drew Brees wanted to help New Orleans’ secure the cornerback’s services. According to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Brees was willing to modify his contract in order to find the funds to sign Norman. Brees only has one year left on his deal, so a restructure isn’t possile — he would have had to accept a paycut or sign an extension to free up cap space.
Thursday’s reports on cornerback Josh Norman suggested that Washington and the 49ers were the frontrunners for the former Panther, with both teams discussing five-year contracts. Norman is headed to D.C. first, which could give Scot McCloughan‘s club the upper hand in negotiations, but nothing has been finalized yet.
Here are the latest Friday updates on Norman’s situation, with new items added to the top of the list throughout the day:
5:47pm:
- Norman is down to Washington and the Saints, who are making a legitimate push for him, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link). The Saints have the second-lowest cap space in the league ($3.44MM), so they’d have to get creative to sign Norman, Schefter adds (on Twitter).
4:32pm:
- Norman did file the necessary paperwork on his agent switch, but there are still some logistics to work through as the corner tries to avoid having to wait five days to sign somewhere, per Albert Breer of NFL.com (Twitter links).
- The 49ers are “in deep” for Norman, tweets CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports (on Twitter) that they and Washington are in a two-team race for his services. However, Michael Silver of NFL.com doesn’t expect San Francisco to make a serious run at signing Norman (Twitter link).
3:16pm:
- Norman has family with him at Washington‘s facility, including his mother, reports John Keim of ESPN (Twitter links). That would seem to bode well for the team in its attempt to reel in Norman.
1:32pm:
- Norman is in Washington as the team’s facility now, and it would be a surprise if he left without a deal in place, according to Peter Schrager of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
- Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) hears that, in addition to Washington and the Niners, there are three more teams who are “strongly in [the] running” for Norman. Two of those clubs are the Jaguars and Buccaneers, per Cole’s source. Based on the Jags updates below, it doesn’t sound as if Jacksonville is a probable landing spot for the star cornerback.
12:44pm:
- Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) would be surprised if Norman lands with any team besides Washington or the 49ers, and adds that the deal is expected to be worth upwards of $15MM per year, which would make him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL. Norman will likely reach an agreement by Saturday, says Cole.
- The Titans have been cited as a potential suitor for Norman, but after exploring the possibility, the team won’t be in the mix, says Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones also confirmed, unsurprisingly, that Norman’s price tag is too rich for his team (Twitter link via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram).
- Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com lays out a few reasons why the Panthers may have decided to move on from Norman.
- Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell, who acknowledged his team has interest in Norman (as noted below), admitted that the two sides are far apart on the cornerback’s perceived value. Caldwell added the Jags haven’t made a formal contract offer, and talks didn’t progress to the point where a possible visit was discussed (all Twitter links via Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union).
11:18am:
- Norman is scheduled to arrive in Washington and begin his visit with the team this afternoon, as Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. Per Anderson, Norman is inclined to keep his options open and explore other opportunities, while Washington will make a strong effort to sign him before the visit ends.
- As Mike Jones and Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post explain, Norman informed his agent – Michael George – on Wednesday that he was firing him, but the paperwork for that move has yet to be filed with the NFLPA. If Norman were to officially fire George and move forward with agent Ryan Williams, he would have to wait five days before negotiating a new contract. As long as both agents are technically representing him, Norman can enter into contract talks immediately.
- Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell confirmed today that his team has “continuing interest” in Norman, and is doing its homework on the standout cornerback (Twitter link via Tad Dickman of the Jaguars).
- Lions wide receiver Golden Tate would “love” the chance to be teammates with Norman in Detroit, but GM Bob Quinn has been noncommittal about the idea of pursuing the corner, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
- Nebraska offensive lineman Alex Lewis has logged official visits with the Cardinals, Titans, Giants, Colts, Eagles, Ravens, Lions, Bears, Packers and Saints, tweets Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910 (Twitter link).
- Former Saints receiver Robert Meachem, who’s looking to make a comeback after missing all of last season, worked out for the club Friday, reports Nick Underhill of the New Orleans Advocate. The Saints used Friday to test Meachem’s speed and conditioning and will have him back in three weeks for on-field work, tweets Leslie Spoon of WWL-TV. New Orleans took Meachem in the first round of the 2007 draft and he went on to catch 141 passes and 23 touchdowns with the team before signing with the Chargers in 2012. After an unproductive season in San Diego, Meachem rejoined the Saints and amassed just 23 receptions and two scores in 26 games from 2013-14.
- Cal wide receiver Kenny Lawler has worked out for the Saints, Falcons, Cowboys, Eagles, and Colts in the weeks leading up to the draft, writes Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Lawler is also believed to have met with the Titans and Jets last month.
- Saints restricted free agent center Tim Lelito has signed his tender, and he shared a picture of the transaction on Instagram. Lelito started 13 games at guard for New Orleans last season, and has 47 career appearances under his belt. The 26-year-old garnered interest from the Cowboys earlier this offseason, but opted to stay with the Saints, where he has a better chance of seeing the starting lineup.
- Rutgers wide receiver Leonte Carroo is visiting the Saints today, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. PFR’s Rob DiRe projected Carroo to come off the board at the end of the second round in the first edition of PFR’s Mock Draft.
- Evan Woodbery of the New Orleans Times-Picayune has the details on Tim Hightower‘s new one-year deal with the Saints, tweeting that it’s a minimum salary benefit contract that features an $80K signing bonus.