No Progress Between Saints, Drew Brees
Saints general manager Mickey Loomis confirmed Wednesday that the team and contract-year quarterback Drew Brees have not made any progress toward a long-term deal, though Loomis added that he’s open to discussions, according to Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. Brees revealed last week that the two sides last exchanged offers in March. The 37-year-old future Hall of Famer is set to count an NFL-leading $30MM against the Saints’ cap this year, and he’ll also rake in the league’s second-highest QB salary ($19.75MM).
If the Saints don’t sign Brees by the start of the regular season, which is the deadline the 16th-year man has set, retaining him in the offseason could be difficult. Because Brees has already been a franchise-tag recipient twice, it would cost the Saints $43.2MM to tag him in 2017, notes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. With the tag an unlikely option, free agency will become a realistic route for Brees to take if he and the Saints don’t work something out over the next several weeks.
Saints To Cut Vincent Brown With Injury Settlement
WEDNESDAY: The Saints will indeed release Brown with an injury settlement, per Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com.
TUESDAY: The season is over before it began for Vincent Brown, as the Saints have placed the veteran wide receiver on injured reserve, according to Joel Erickson of the Advocate (Twitter link). Brown signed a one-year, minimum salary benefit contract with New Orleans a little over two months ago.
[RELATED: Saints, Drew Brees haven’t negotiated in three months]
As Roster Resource indicates, the loss of Brown doesn’t do much to deplete a relatively deep Saints receiver corps, which is fronted by starters Brandin Cooks and Willie Snead. Former Ohio State pass-catcher Michael Thomas, chosen in the second round of the 2016 draft, is expected to man the slot during his rookie year, while New Orleans is still holding out hope that Brandon Coleman can contribute in some fashion. The club also boasts Reggie Bell and Kyle Prater further down the depth chart.
As well-stocked as the Saints are at receiver, they don’t necessarily need to add a free agent to make up for the loss of Brown, but there are certainly options available on the open market even after veteran Anquan Boldin — probably the best receiver who was still unsigned — agreed to a deal with the Lions earlier today. Three names that stand out are Hakeem Nicks, Denarius Moore, and Nathan Palmer, each of whom attended a May workout in New Orleans with Brown.
Brown, for his part, has been limited by injuries for much of his career, and he hasn’t posted a full season since 2013, when he caught 41 balls for the Chargers. If his current ailment isn’t serious, he could negotiate an injury settlement with the Saints, allowing him to be removed from the IR and reach free agency.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Saints To Sign Hakeem Nicks
Just over two months after working out free agent receiver Hakeem Nicks, the Saints have agreed to a one-year deal with the veteran, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link). Financial details are not yet available.
The Saints will be the fourth organization for the 28-year-old Nicks, who has spent time with the Giants, Colts and Titans. The Giants have been Nicks’ employer for the lion’s share of his career. New York selected the ex-North Carolina Tar Heel 29th overall in 2009 and he ended up playing there until 2013 and again last season. As a member of Big Blue, Nicks hauled in 318 catches and 27 touchdowns. None of those scores and just seven of those receptions came in 2015 for Nicks, who caught anywhere from 47 to 79 passes each season from 2009-13 and logged two 1,000-yard campaigns.
In between his two stints with the Giants, Nicks was a Colt in 2014, when he picked up 38 receptions and four TDs, and then briefly a Titan – with whom he didn’t crack the roster. All told, the 6-foot-1, 208-pounder has 92 appearances (67 starts), 356 grabs, 14.3 yards per catch and 31 TDs on his stat sheet.
For New Orleans, the addition of Nicks comes just one day after the team placed fellow wideout Vincent Brown on season-ending injured reserve. In the wake of that move, PFR’s Dallas Robinson listed Nicks as a logical target for the Saints. They agreed, apparently, and Nicks will now join a crowded receiving corps that includes Brandin Cooks, Willie Snead, second-round pick Michael Thomas, Brandon Coleman, Reggie Bell and Kyle Prater, as Roster Resource shows.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Saints Notes: Brees, Benson, Lewis
We learned yesterday that Drew Brees and the Saints have not discussed a new contract in the last three months, and Brees is therefore still on track to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2016 season (for which he currently carries a $30MM cap hit). Mike Triplett of ESPN.com believes both sides are being unduly stubborn, that they should be more eager to get something done, and that this past week–the last week before the start of training camp–would have been the perfect time for team and player to reach an accord assuring that Brees would remain in New Orleans for the rest of his career.
Of course, Triplett also maintains that Brees and the Saints could have tried harder to get this deal done prior to the start of free agency, when a reduction of Bress’ $30MM cap number would have been especially welcome. Brees has set the start of the regular season as his deadline for working out a new contract, and while Triplett understands the Saints’ hesitancy to hand out another mega-deal–after all, Brees is not getting any younger, and he has battled a series of nagging injuries in the past two years–he still thinks the future Hall-of-Famer is a safe bet to continue performing at a high level. Triplett does believe, however, that Brees should be willing to leave a little money on the table if that’s what it takes to get him a little extra security now and give the team a better chance to make one last championship run before he calls it a career.
Now let’s round up some more Saints-related news:
- A federal judge has given Saints owner Tom Benson an additional 30 days to replace at least some of the team shares that he attempted to pull from his daughter and grandchildren with equitable assets, according to Greg LaRose of The Times-Picayune. Benson had agreed to enter into negotiations back in June, just three days before he was scheduled to go to trial with trustees who blocked his attempt to remove stock in the teams. Once that matter is resolved, the NFL will still need to approve the settlement regarding team ownership.
- Saints cornerback Keenan Lewis, who missed the majority of the 2015 season with a trio of injuries, says he will be ready for the regular-season opener, as Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune writes. His return will be a welcome one for the Saints, who will pair him with Delvin Breaux to form a fairly solid starting duo outside the hash marks.
- One thing that would help the secondary, of course, is a better pass rush, and Nick Underhill of The New Orleans Advocate explores some of the Saints’ options in that regard.
Latest On Saints, Drew Brees
As the summer has progressed, it’s appeared increasingly unlikely that the Saints and Drew Brees would come to an agreement on an extension. The quarterback’s recent comments did little to boost optimism regarding a new contract.
As several big-name signal-callers have earned contract extensions this offseason, Brees is still eyeing free agency following the season. While the two parties could suddenly come to an agreement, the 37-year-old told ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett that the sides haven’t negotiated in nearly three months.
“Not sure why things have not progressed,” he said. “They made an offer in March, we made an offer shortly thereafter. And besides the Josh Norman deal [the organization approached Brees with a new contract in order to sign the cornerback], there has been no talk about a contract since.”
Brees has been rather adamant that he won’t discuss an extension during the regular season, although he acknowledged that a solid deadline hasn’t been set. The team-leader has no intentions of holding out or skipping practices.
“I would say the deadline is the start of the regular season, not training camp,” he said.
As Triplett notes, guaranteed money is the likely “sticking point” in the negotiations between the quarterback and the Saints. Although Andrew Luck and Joe Flacco earned more than $60MM in guaranteed money on their extension, a similar deal would seemingly mean that the Saints would have to pay Brees until he’s at least 39 years old.
Brees will be entering the final year of his (then) record-breaking five-year, $200MM contract signed in 2012. The veteran has a staggering $30MM cap hit for this upcoming season, and he’s set to earn $19.75MM via his salary and $7.4MM via a signing bonus.
Despite wrapping up his 15th NFL season, Brees is still going strong. He finished the 2015 season with 4,870 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, and only 11 interceptions — his lowest total since 2009.
Opinion: Saints Secondary Could Be Improved
- Although New Orleans’ defense — especially against the pass — was historically poor in 2015, the Saints could end up fielding a decent secondary next season, as Nick Underhill of the Advocate details. Damian Swann, Keenan Lewis, and P.J. Williams are all returning from injury, and if that group can perform adequately alongside Delvin Breaux, there’s potential for upside in New Orleans. As Roster Resource shows, former Broncos defensive back Tony Carter will also fight for playing time, competing with Brian Dixon and Brandon Dixon.
Saints Making Strong Push For Anquan Boldin
FRIDAY, 1:31pm: The Saints aren’t making a push for Boldin, according to Katherine Terrell of The Times-Picayune (on Twitter). New Orleans did look into it earlier in the summer but didn’t make an offer.
THURDSAY, 1:29pm: The Saints are making the “strongest push” to sign Anquan Boldin, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). He adds that Boldin has a strong relationship with wide receivers coach John Morton from their time together in San Francisco. 
Boldin, 35, has reportedly been working out in South Florida and staying in shape as he waits for the right opportunity. Even though he has enjoyed a long career and even has a Super Bowl ring, the veteran has said that he is not thinking about retirement right now. Last season, Boldin recorded only 69 catches for 789 yards and four touchdowns, so he’s probably looking to go out on a higher note. Boldin’s struggles, in large part, can be attributed to the turmoil surrounding the 49ers and their difficulties at quarterback last year.
In a recent interview, a Bengals exec said that the team has not been in talks with Boldin. The Lions did bring Boldin in for a visit one month ago, but they signed Andre Roberts on the very same day.
After joining the 49ers in 2013, Boldin posted consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, with 12 total touchdowns in ’13 and ’14. Over the course of his career, Boldin has made three Pro Bowls while racking up 13,195 yards off of 1,009 catches with 74 touchdowns.
Recently, we ranked Boldin as the second-best available offensive free agent still on the board.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Saints Rule Out Reggie Bush Signing
Reggie Bush is hoping to play in the NFL this season, but his opportunity will not come with the team that drafted him. In an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show today, Saints coach Sean Payton said that New Orleans is an unlikely landing spot for the veteran. 
[RELATED: 49ers Haven’t Asked Bush, Boldin To Return]
“I don’t know if our roster is going to allow for that right now,” Payton said (via Christopher Dabe of NOLA.com), citing the team’s present depth at the position.
As shown on the Saints’ Roster Resource page, the team already has Mark Ingram, C.J. Spiller, Tim Hightower, and Travaris Cadet at running back along with rookie Daniel Lasco and 2015 seventh-rounder Marcus Murphy. Recently, Bush said that he received interest from two teams this offseason, but we now know that the Saints were not among those teams to reach out. However, Payton did confirm that the Saints had interest in Bush prior to the 2015 season.
Bush, 31, spent the first five seasons of his 10-year career with the Saints. The former No. 2 overall pick in the draft went on to also play two seasons for the Dolphins, two with the Lions, and one with the 49ers. Of course, that 49ers season ended early when Bush tore his left ACL on the concrete at the Edwards Jones Dome in St. Louis. Now, Bush finds himself seeking employment after an unremarkable five-game showing and at an advanced age for a running back.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Saints Sign Nick Fairley
JULY 9th, 9:35am: More than three months after the deal was signed, Nick Underhill of the New Orleans Advocate has some details on Fairley’s $1.75MM worth of incentives.
There are three ‘playing time thresholds’ that Fairley could reach, with each bonus adding $250K to his salary. There are also three ‘sack thresholds’ worth $250K each. Finally, if the veteran manages to play 35-percent of his team’s snaps and record at least four sacks, he’ll make another $250K.
MARCH 29th, 11:46am: Fairley gets a one-year, $3MM deal from the Saints, including a $2.235MM signing bonus, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Fairley can earn an additional $1.75MM via incentives, and his contract technically runs through 2018 for cap purposes — the final two years will void.
MONDAY, 10:00am: The Saints have officially signed Fairley, the team announced today in a press release.
8:41am: Defensive tackle Nick Fairley will be signing with the Saints, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who reports (via Twitter) that Fairley has agreed to terms on a one-year contract with New Orleans. Rapoport had indicated last week that the Saints were the frontrunners to land the ex-Ram.
A free agent a year ago, Fairley signed a one-year pact with the Rams, and was a rotational piece on the team’s talented defensive line in 2015, appearing in less than 40% of the defensive snaps. Although he wasn’t a full-time player and his counting stats were modest (29 tackles and 0.5 sacks), the former first-round pick graded out as a top-25 interior defender, according to Pro Football Focus.
This time around in free agency, Fairley once again signed a one-year pact, but he may get an opportunity to play a little more in New Orleans, since the Saints’ defensive line isn’t as deep and talented as the Rams’ unit. Per Rapoport (via Twitter), the 28-year-old chose the Saints over offers from the Patriots and Texans. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle adds (via Twitter) that the Eagles offered Fairley a contract as well.
Fairley is the latest addition for a Saints team that has been busy lately adding pieces to its defense — the club also signed linebackers James Laurinaitis and Craig Robertson last week. It’s not clear how New Orleans is squeezing all these deals in under the cap, since the team had less than $1MM in cap room available at last check. It seems likely that the team has restructure at least one big contract – perhaps Cameron Jordan‘s or Jairus Byrd‘s – and it has yet to be reported.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Drew Brees Could Land Fully Guaranteed Deal
This is a contract year for quarterback Drew Brees, and if he and the Saints don’t reach an agreement on a new deal by next offseason, the franchise tag probably won’t be an option for the team. Tagging Brees would leave the Saints with an unpalatable $43.09MM cap hit for 2017. Given that fact, the future Hall of Famer might have the leverage to land a fully guaranteed, multiyear contract by next winter, Andrew Brandt of The MMQB.com suggests. In the meantime, the 37-year-old is slated to play 2016 on a $19.75MM salary and count a quarterback-leading $30MM against New Orleans’ cap. As of last month, multiple sources projected Brees’ next pact would be a four-year, $95MM accord featuring $65MM in guarantees.