- Rees Odhiambo will take visits with the Buccaneers, Seahawks, and Dolphins and has a workout with the Saints, per Rapoport (on Twitter).
- Tim Lelito, who received a low-end RFA tender from the Saints, garnered some interest from the Cowboys but opted not to sign an offer sheet with Dallas and sounds prepared to return to New Orleans for 2016, as Lyons Yellin of WWL outlines. Lelito technically remains a free agent until he formally signs his one-year, $1.671MM RFA tender.
- The Saints will work out California tight end Stephen Anderson on Monday, tweets Getlin, adding that Anderson’s workout with the Falcons went well. Anderson has also been linked to the Patriots, Titans, and Texans.
- Meanwhile, while Ole Miss wideout Laquon Treadwell could be a logical pick for the Saints with the 12th pick, Jeremiah believes the team would be better off holding out. “We’ve been so spoiled the last two years with the depth of talent, I don’t think we quite have that this year in terms of that top-end talent (at receiver),” Jeremiah said. “But I do think in the middle rounds there is a lot of value to be found there.”
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- University of Miami cornerback Tracy Howard worked out for the Saints, met with the Jaguars, and visited the Browns in the last week, a league source tells Mike Kaye of First Coast News (on Twitter).
- Boise State lineman Rees Odhiambo will meet with the 49ers, Saints, and Buccaneers in the next couple of weeks, agent Ron Slavin tells Jay Tust of KTVB (on Twitter).
- Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland told SiriusXM NFL Radio (on Twitter) that he has probably heard the most from the Bears, Falcons, Saints, and Dolphins. He also confirmed personal workouts with the Bears, Colts, Ravens, Jaguars, Vikings, Rams, and the Bills.
- Josh Hill, TE (Saints): Matched Bears’ offer sheet. Three years, $7.051MM. $2.5MM signing bonus. No-trade clause for 2016 and 2017. $100K annual Pro Bowl incentive. $200K in per-game roster bonuses for 2017 and 2018. $750K escalator for 2018 for receptions and yards (link via Nick Underhill of The Advocate).
The Saints continue to make changes to the contracts of players on their roster, having most recently restructured running back Mark Ingram‘s deal, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The move comes on the heels of the team also reworking Cameron Jordan‘s and Thomas Morstead‘s contracts.
[RELATED: Saints sign Nick Fairley]
Ingram, who had been in line for a $3MM base salary in 2016, saw $2.235MM of that money converted into a signing bonus, reducing his base salary to just $765K. The signing bonus is prorated over the next three seasons, opening up $1.49MM in cap room for the Saints in 2016. The running back’s cap hit has been reduced from $4MM to $2.51MM, but his 2017 and 2018 cap charges have increased to $5.245MM and $6.245MM respectively.
In the short term, the move gives the Saints a little more flexibility to continue to conduct offseason business, including finalizing Nick Fairley‘s new deal with the team. After Jordan’s and Morstead’s contracts were restructured, the Saints were said to have about $3.03MM in cap room, but Fairley is set to count for $3MM against the cap, reducing the minimal flexibility New Orleans had. Ingram’s restructure gives the club a bit of breathing room.
As for the long-term ramifications of the move, with Ingram’s cap hit on the rise for 2017 and 2018, the odds of him playing out his entire contract have probably diminished. Depending on how he performs in 2016, Ingram may have his deal addressed again in some form by the Saints a year from now.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The Saints have been busy in free agency within the last couple weeks, adding players like Craig Robertson, James Laurinaitis, and Nick Fairley to new contracts while also matching the Bears’ offer sheet for tight end Josh Hill. It wasn’t clear initially how the cap-strapped Saints were creating room for all their new contracts, but Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune has shed some light on the subject.
According to Woodbery, New Orleans has restructured the contracts for defensive end Cameron Jordan and punter Thomas Morstead to create a little cap space. Woodbery writes that the moves have pushed the Saints back up to $3.03MM in available cap space, after that figure had been reduced to $273K last week. Still, the new figure doesn’t include Fairley, so even if the team has room to squeeze in the defensive tackle’s new contract, additional restructures or releases will eventually be required.
For Jordan, it was the second time in two months that the Saints have tweaked his contract, giving him more money up front. In February, the team created $4.8MM in cap room by converting Jordan’s $6MM roster bonus into a signing bonus. Now the club has also converted most of his $3.5MM base salary into a signing bonus — by reducing his salary to $765K, the Saints create a $2.73MM bonus, which will be prorated over five years, opening up $2.184MM in cap space for 2016.
As for Morstead, he got a $2.1MM signing bonus, with his $3MM base salary reduced to $900K. That bonus prorates over three seasons, creating $1.4MM in cap savings for 2016. The veteran punter’s 2017 and 2018 cap numbers have increased to $4.7MM and $4.85MM respectively as a result of the restructure.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
- Craig Robertson, LB (Saints): Three years, $5MM. $1.965MM guaranteed. $1.2MM signing bonus. $250K roster bonus due on fifth day of 2017 league year. $275K due on fifth day of 2018 league year. Up to $1.5MM in annual incentives (Twitter links).
- Jamarca Sanford, S (Saints): One year, minimum salary benefit. $80K signing bonus. $130K of $885K salary is guaranteed (Twitter link).