New Orleans Saints Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Michael Thomas Did Not Aim To Test Free Agency; Latest On WR’s Saints Deal

June 20th, 2023 at 4:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the league’s restructure bastions, the Saints went to this well with Michael Thomas‘ previous contract on a few occasions. A 2023 reworking looked to point Thomas to free agency, but the former All-Pro re-signed to stay in New Orleans.

Thomas agreed to terms on a one-year, $10MM deal that comes with $6.26MM fully guaranteed. Void years spread out Thomas’ cap hit through 2027 while providing a steep 2024 penalty ($18.2MM in dead money) if the contract is not adjusted before the ’24 league year. While the 30-year-old pass catcher once signed a monster extension that made him the league’s second-highest-paid receiver, a spree of injuries during the 2020s have thrown his career off course.

For his part, Thomas said he did not make a genuine effort to leave New Orleans this offseason, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.football notes (on Twitter). Describing the contract talk as “fluff,” the league’s single-season reception record holder said he has a great relationship with the organization. Thomas’ 2021 could have irrevocably altered this relationship, as a disagreement regarding his recovery timetable from a 2020 ankle injury preceded him missing all of that season. Thomas then missed 14 games in 2022, running his absence count to 40 during the 2020s.

The Saints included incentives in Thomas’ latest agreement, escalators that could bump the contract to $15MM in total. While Thomas’ 2010s version would be positioned to cash in, the developments since do not indicate a strong likelihood he will add to his new deal. There are $750K in incentives tied to receptions and another $750K tethered to receiving yards. The three-tiered receptions structure begins at 100, per NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill (on Twitter), including $250K bonuses for 100, 110 and 120 catches. For receiving yardage, Thomas can collect $250K bonuses at 1,000, 1,150 and 1,300.

Thomas earned his initial Saints extension — a five-year, $96.25MM pact agreed to during the 2019 offseason — on the back of consecutive first-team All-Pro honors. He led the NFL in receptions in 2018 (125) and 2019 (a record-setting 149) but only reached 40 in a seven-game 2020 slate. After four straight 1,100-plus-yard seasons to start his career, the former second-round pick has not topped 450 in a season since. The Saints have also placed a $250K bonus at the seven-touchdown barrier and another $250K bump if Thomas earns original-ballot Pro Bowl Games entry, which will only vest if the Saints make the playoffs. The other $2.5MM in incentives are even less likely to be earned, as they are tied to top-tier achievements (first-team All-Pro, Offensive Player of the Year, Super Bowl MVP) or honors never before attained by a wideout (NFL MVP).

Although the Saints were connected to trading up for a wide receiver — believed to be USC’s Jordan Addison — in the first round, they left the draft with only sixth-rounder A.T. Perry in their class. The team has not re-signed Jarvis Landry and will count on speedy second-year UDFA Rashid Shaheed taking another step alongside Chris Olave. New Orleans also has vets Bryan Edwards, Tre’Quan Smith, James Washington, Keke Coutee and Lynn Bowden rostered. But Thomas represents a key part of their receiver plan. While Thomas did not participate in New Orleans’ offseason program for a third straight year — this time due to rehab from toe surgery — he is on track to give it another go in training camp.

Cameron Jordan Addresses Saints Extension Talks

June 19th, 2023 at 11:46am CST by Adam La Rose

Talks are underway on another new contract for Cameron Jordan, something which would further extend his career-long stint in New Orleans. Recent remarks made by general manager Mickey Loomis pointed to an extension being worked out soon, something the franchise icon would welcome.

“That’s a huge blessing,” Jordan said, via John DeShazier of the team’s website, in reaction to Loomis’ guarantee regarding his future with the Saints. “I want what I’ve always wanted, to be Black and Gold. I’ve said that plenty of times, whether I play 15 years or 16 years, I want to be here.”

The 33-year-old has remained highly productive during his 12 seasons in New Orleans, thanks in no small part to his sterling record of durability. Jordan has suited up for exactly 16 games every year to date, giving him the opportunity to break the franchise’s all-time sack lead amongst his many individual accomplishments. 2022 marked the sixth consecutive season (and eighth overall) in which he was named a Pro Bowler.

It thus came as little surprise when it was learned contract talks were underway earlier this offseason between Jordan and the Saints. One year remains on his current deal, one which has been restructured like those of many other Saints in recent years. A new deal would not only achieve the mutual goal of ensuring 2010s All-Decade member retires in New Orleans, it would also help the team’s cap situation. A short-term extension would help soften the void money charge currently in place for 2024 ($23.2MM).

It would also, of course, allow Jordan to continue climbing the Saints’ games played list and that of the NFL’s all-time sack leaders. He sits at 115.5 in the latter regard, which places him 23rd on the official count. Considering Jordan has racked up at least 7.5 sacks in every season except his rookie campaign, it would be reasonable to expect a move inside the top 20 in 2023. How much further he would be able to ascend would depend on the length of his next, and likely final, contract, one for which there is certainly a mutual desire.

Saints’ Taysom Hill Content With Current Role

June 18th, 2023 at 3:09pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Saints’ offense will have a new look under center this year with Derek Carr in place. The process of tailoring the unit to the free agent addition has been an important one for New Orleans, but the team has once again been tasked with finding the right balance of alignments and playing time for Taysom Hill.

The veteran Swiss Army knife was, as expected, not used as a long-term option as a quarterback last season. Instead, he transitioned to more of a hybrid tight end role (albeit one which involved only nine receptions on 13 targets) last season. Hill’s most effective usage was on the ground, as usual. The 32-year-old registered 575 yards and seven touchdowns on a career-high 96 carries. More of the same in that regard is expecting heading into the coming campaign.

“I feel like we’re starting to figure out what is normal again,” Hill said, via John DeShazler of the team’s website. “I felt like ’20 and ’21 were so abnormal that I don’t know what that is now. We’ve had a lot of change here the last few years, and I feel like being here the last few days with the guys and the team, I feel like everyone is gelling really well… I think we’re trying to find this happy medium and happy balance of like, hey, let’s be realistic with what we’re going to ask you do to this season and make sure that you’re getting the time and the reps on those things.”

The Saints have Carr on the books through 2026 after making a splash in free agency to acquire him in March, and the team retained Jameis Winston as well. With those two comfortably atop the QB depth chart, Hill and the team’s coaching staff can turn their attention to his usage as a rusher and pass-catcher. More emphasis in the latter department would suit Hill as he looks to keep adapting his game, though.

“I think that’s kind of stuff that hasn’t been explored a ton with me here,” he added. “I think running routes and catching balls, that was a foreign thing for me and I also think because of that, we haven’t done a ton of it and I think there’s some opportunities there that we just haven’t explored yet. As I look at next season, I think the hope and the expectation is that that expands a little bit.”

New Orleans has a crowded TE room with Foster Moreau and Juwan Johnson each set to take up signficant snaps and targets. Hill will compete with those two for playing time in a pass-catching role during training camp, but his abilities on the ground as well as special teams figure to allow him to remain a key player in the Saints’ overall success. His restructured contract runs through 2025, so he should be in place in his current role for years to come.

Saints IOL Cesar Ruiz Still Has Potential Future In New Orleans

June 17th, 2023 at 3:42pm CST by Ely Allen

In three years of professional football, interior offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz has struggled to live up to his first-round potential. Despite the Saints essentially echoing that sentiment by declining his fifth-year option, general manager Mickey Loomis seems to have implied that Ruiz still has a future with the team, according to Jeff Nowak of Audacy Sports.

After excelling as a pass-blocking center at Michigan in college, Ruiz hasn’t been able to find the same success at the NFL level. He has spent most of his time in New Orleans as the team’s primary right guard while filling in at times at his old center position. Ruiz found starts as a rookie thanks to injuries to Andrus Peat and Nick Easton and became a full time starter in his sophomore season.

He’s started every game he’s appeared in since taking over as a starter but has missed four games over his career, including three to end the 2022 regular season. Ruiz suffered a Lisfranc injury that held him out of the team’s final games of the year. He hasn’t practiced since the injury but was scheduled this week for a procedure to remove hardware from the initial surgery to repair his foot. The follow-up procedure was set to take place yesterday, according to Jeff Duncan of nola.com, which should give him enough recovery time to be back for training camp.

Given his on-field and injury struggles, it’s hard to see where his future lies with the Saints. According to Nowak, Loomis referred to Ruiz as an “ascending player,” saying he has high expectations for the fourth-year player. So why decline his fifth-year option?

Declining Ruiz’s fifth-year option makes 2023 a contract year for the lineman. He’ll have one year to prove he deserves a fifth year with the team and beyond. This season, he’ll need to prove that he is improving and ascending, as his general manager hopes. He’ll also need to display an ability to rebound from the season-ending injury from last year. Lisfranc injuries have a tendency to linger, but if Ruiz’s health holds up throughout the season, Nowak feels that an eventual extension is inevitable.

New Orleans signed veteran center Billy Price this week, as well. The move could be insurance in case Ruiz is unable to recover fully. It could also be in service of the goal to keep Ruiz at guard full-time. Without Price, Ruiz is the team’s primary backup at center behind Erik McCoy. If Price can earn the backup role, it would allow Ruiz to focus solely on his work at guard, potentially helping him to ascend to a level worthy of an extension.

NFC South Notes: White, Falcons, Saints

June 16th, 2023 at 11:58am CST by Sam Robinson

Weeks after making a trade request, Devin White showed for Buccaneers minicamp this week. This was the expected outcome, but the talented linebacker did not participate. Still, Todd Bowles did not refer to this as a hold-in measure. The second-year Tampa Bay HC said (via ESPN’s Jenna Laine) the team wanted to gauge White’s readiness, though it is unclear if the former top-five pick is dealing with a specific injury. Bowles said he expects White to be ready to go for training camp. Though, that could be when a hold-in effort takes place in earnest. White, who avoided nearly $100K in fines by reporting to minicamp, is tied to an $11.7MM fifth-year option salary. Although White wants top-five ILB money and has not yet seen the Bucs show interest in signing off on such an extension, team brass said multiple times this offseason no trade desire exists on the organization’s part.

Here is the latest from the NFC South:

It appears the Falcons‘ big-ticket Jessie Bates acquisition will displace Jaylinn Hawkins. After the former fourth-round pick started 16 games last season, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter notes it will likely be Bates teaming with Richie Grant — a 17-game starter in 2022 — this year. Pro Football Focus’ No. 66 safety last season, Hawkins may factor in when the team uses three-safety looks. But a contract-year demotion looks set to commence.
Falcons defensive tackle Ta’Quon Graham missed last season’s final seven games due a full MCL tear, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com tweets. After not participating in OTAs, the third-year defender was back on the field at minicamp. Like Hawkins, Graham might see the Falcons’ free agency moves affect his role. The team signed David Onyemata and Calais Campbell, and Eddie Goldman is attempting to return after a 2022 retirement call. Goldman, however, did not work with the team during minicamp.
Trevor Penning already underwent surgery to repair a Lisfranc injury sustained in Week 18. While the Saints tackle is expected to be ready for training camp, NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan notes he is undergoing a second procedure Friday to remove hardware from the repaired foot. Penning started just one game as a rookie, seeing another injury — a torn foot ligament — delay his NFL debut by nearly three months. But the 2022 first-round pick is on track to be New Orleans’ Week 1 left tackle starter this year. James Hurst, the team’s primary blind-sider last season, shared first-team duties with third-year blocker Landon Young at minicamp.
After spending the past two seasons as a Saints staffer, Sterling Moore will not be with the team going forward. The Saints dismissed the former cornerback from their staff, NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill tweets. Moore worked as New Orleans’ assistant DBs coach last season. Moore, 33, started 12 games for the Saints in 2016 and played two seasons with the team. The Saints hired a new defensive coordinator this offseason — Joe Woods — but it is unclear if that move will directly lead to Moore’s summer exit.
The Saints made an addition to their scouting department recently, with InsidetheLeague.com’s Neil Stratton relaying (via Twitter) the team hired former Louisiana Tech staffer Ziad Qubti as their college scouting coordinator. This will be Qubti’s first NFL gig.

Saints Sign C Billy Price

June 15th, 2023 at 7:06pm CST by Ben Levine

The Saints aren’t done making moves on offense. After adding a pair of pass-catchers earlier today, the team has now added an offensive lineman. The team announced that they’ve signed veteran offensive lineman Billy Price.

Price was a first-round pick by the Bengals back in 2018. The lineman missed a chunk of his rookie season due to a foot injury, but he otherwise started all 10 of his appearances. After that, he found himself in and out of Cincy’s lineup. Price started 10 of his 16 appearances during the 2019 campaign, and he started only one of his 16 games in 2020 (while appearing in a career-low 207 offensive snaps).

The lineman had his fifth-year option declined before getting dealt to the Giants for the 2021 season. He started 15 of his 16 appearances in New York, but he still had to settle for a practice squad gig with the Raiders to begin the 2022 campaign. He eventually caught on with the Cardinals and proceeded to start all 11 of his appearances for his new squad. Pro Football Focus didn’t love his performance in Arizona, grading him as the 35th center among 36 qualified players.

Price didn’t grade much better at his previous stops, but he’ll still provide New Orleans with some experience at the position. Per Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com (via Twitter), the Saints have been hunting around for some reinforcement at center. Erik McCoy has a firm hold of the starting center gig, but the lineman has missed nine games over the past two seasons. If McCoy goes down again (and if the team hopes to keep Cesar Ruiz permanently at guard), then they’d be looking at UDFA Alex Pihlstrom as their only option at center.

Earlier today, the team added Keke Coutee and Lynn Bowden to their squad. The team also cut wideout Malik Flowers, running backSaRodorick Thompson, and offensive lineman Yasir Durant.

Saints Sign WRs Keke Coutee, Lynn Bowden

June 15th, 2023 at 4:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

Keke Coutee and Lynn Bowden worked out for the Saints at their minicamp this week, NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill notes (Twitter links). Each will earn an invitation to the next Saints round of practices.

The Saints are signing both wide receivers, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Additionally, New Orleans waived wideout Malik Flowers, running back SaRodorick Thompson and offensive lineman Yasir Durant.

Coutee, 26, spent last season with the Colts; Bowden, 25, logged time on the Patriots’ practice squad. The former mid-round picks will vie for backup spots in New Orleans, which lost Jarvis Landry this offseason. The Saints still re-signed Michael Thomas, hoping the NFL single-season reception record holder can shake the injuries that have defined his 2020s, and return second-year speedster Rashid Shaheed. Longtime tertiary option Tre’Quan Smith also remains rostered, while the Saints signed Bryan Edwards and drafted A.T. Perry in the sixth round.

Best known for his time as a Texans slot receiver, Coutee failed to make Houston’s 2021 active roster and trekked to Indianapolis. The Texas Tech alum served as a regular punt returner with the Colts last season. That represented his most notable work since 2020, when the former fourth-round pick established a career highs with 33 catches for 400 yards and three touchdowns. Since Deshaun Watson‘s on-field Houston finale, however, Coutee has only caught two passes. He auditioned for the Packers earlier this offseason.

A former third-round Raiders pick, Bowden is probably best known for being traded to the Dolphins before he could suit up for a game in Las Vegas. The 2020 draftee saw some action as a Dolphins slot/gadget performer as a rookie, hauling in 28 passes for 211 yards. He has not caught a pass since. The Dolphins dangled Bowden in trades last year before ultimately cutting him. The Patriots picked up the Kentucky alum and stashed him on their practice squad. The Pats waived Bowden in May. Like Coutee, Bowden has a return background — just not in the NFL. He saw punt-return action at Kentucky in each of his three seasons.

A three-year veteran, Durant played in one game for the Saints last season. The 6-foot-7 tackle out of Missouri has two career starts on his resume. A rookie out of Texas Tech, Thompson was part of New Orleans’ UDFA contingent last month. Flowers set the Division I-FCS record for kick-return touchdowns, with seven, and sits behind only Shaheed in Big Sky Conference history in return average.

Front Office Rumors: Vikings, DeLuca, Saints

June 4th, 2023 at 6:20pm CST by Ely Allen

The Vikings made a number of staff moves this past week. They’ve got one season under their belt with new head coach Kevin O’Connell and new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, and Minnesota continues to make adjustments to the front office.

The first such adjustment was the release of a longtime staffer in director of football quantitative methods and pro scout Scott Kuhn. According to Seth Walder of ESPN, the two parties decided to part ways after 16 years together. Kuhn first came to Minnesota in 2007, following former general manager Rick Spielman in his move from Miami. The former Dolphins staffer worked his way through multiple roles in Minnesota before finally landing his most recent role back in 2016.

Here are few other front office moves from around the NFC, mostly coming out of the Twin Cities:

In further efforts to shape the front office to his liking, Adofo-Mensah brought a big piece over from Cleveland in Sam DeLuca, according to Neil Stratton of SucceedinFootball.com. DeLuca had been with the Browns since 2013, serving mostly in the role of assistant director of pro scouting. He also spent some time with the Eagles before he joined Cleveland. In Minnesota, DeLuca will claim a role as the Vikings’ senior assistant director of pro personnel.
The Vikings will reportedly also be adding a new scout, according to Stratton. Minnesota is poaching Matt Kelly from the Senior Bowl staff, where he served as director of football operations. With the Vikings, Kelly will be the team’s new West Coast area scout.
Lastly, the Saints also parted ways with a longtime staffer, according to Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune, letting go of a top analytics researcher in Ryan Herman. Herman joined the Saints back in 2017 after working with New Orleans’ assistant general manager Jeff Ireland in Miami, when Ireland was the Dolphins’ general manager. Herman’s seven years in Miami culminated in his role as the director of football administration before taking the job in New Orleans. After six years with the Saints as the team’s head of football research and strategy, New Orleans allowed Herman’s contract to expire.

2023 NFL Cap Space, By Team

June 2nd, 2023 at 3:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

The start of June has served as a key NFL financial period for decades. While teams no longer have to wait until after June 1 to make that cost-splitting cut designation, teams pick up the savings from those transactions today. With a handful of teams making post-June 1 cuts this year, here is how each team’s cap space (courtesy of OverTheCap) looks as of Friday:

Chicago Bears: $32.58MM
Carolina Panthers: $27.25MM
Arizona Cardinals: $26.68MM
New York Jets: $24.79MM
Detroit Lions: $23.72MM
Indianapolis Colts: $23.39MM
Dallas Cowboys: $20.48MM
Houston Texans: $16.81MM
Green Bay Packers: $16.57MM
Pittsburgh Steelers: $15.73MM
Cincinnati Bengals: $14.92MM
New Orleans Saints: $14.27MM
New England Patriots: $14.12MM
Miami Dolphins: $13.9MM
Cleveland Browns: $13.86MM
Philadelphia Eagles: $13.85MM
Los Angeles Chargers: $12.61MM
Jacksonville Jaguars: $12MM
Washington Commanders: $11.57MM
Baltimore Ravens: $11.54MM
San Francisco 49ers: $10.72MM
Atlanta Falcons: $10.7MM
Denver Broncos: $10.13MM
Minnesota Vikings: $9.75MM
Tennessee Titans: $7.99MM
Seattle Seahawks: $7.94MM
New York Giants: $3.82MM
Las Vegas Raiders: $3.37MM
Los Angeles Rams: $1.49MM
Buffalo Bills: $1.4MM
Kansas City Chiefs: $653K
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $402K

The Dolphins gained the most from a post-June 1 cut (Byron Jones) this year, creating $13.6MM in cap space from a deal that will spread out the cornerback’s dead money through 2024. But the Browns (John Johnson, Jadeveon Clowney) and Cowboys (Ezekiel Elliott) created more than $10MM in space as well.

The Jets’ number is a bit deceiving. They are still working on a restructure with Aaron Rodgers, as the trade acquisition’s cap number — after a Packers restructure — sits at just $1.22MM. In 2024, that number skyrockets to $107.6MM. Rodgers’ cap hit will almost definitely will climb before Week 1, so viewing the Jets along with the other teams north of $20MM in space is not entirely accurate.

Minnesota is moving closer to separating from its $12.6MM-per-year Dalvin Cook contract. The team already created some space by trading Za’Darius Smith to the Browns. Cleveland, which is one of the teams connected to DeAndre Hopkins, added Smith and did so with help from its Deshaun Watson restructure. Watson was set to count $54.9MM against the Browns’ 2023 cap. That number is down to $19.1MM, though the Browns’ restructure both ballooned Watson’s mid-2020s cap figures to $63.9MM — which would shatter the NFL record — and added a 2027 void year.

Tampa Bay and Los Angeles sit atop the league in dead money, with the Bucs — largely from their April 2022 Tom Brady restructure — checking in at $75.3MM here. That total comprises nearly 33% of the Bucs’ 2023 cap sheet. The Rams, at more than $74MM, are not far behind. Despite the Bills and Chiefs — the teams most frequently tied to Hopkins — joining the Bucs and Rams near the bottom of the league in cap space, both AFC contenders also sit in the bottom five in dead money.

Saints Sign TE Jesse James

May 31st, 2023 at 5:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

For the third straight year, Jesse James has found a new team. The Saints announced on Wednesday that they have signed the veteran tight end.

James’ longest and most productive stint came with the Steelers to begin his career. His four-year tenure in Pittsburgh saw him start 36 of 56 games, and record a personal-best 423 receiving yards in 2018. He has bounced around the league since then, however, spending two years in Detroit followed by one in Chicago.

The 28-year-old inked a one-year deal with the Browns last year, as he aimed to rebuild his value in a depth role. James wound playing only 18 offensive snaps across two games in Cleveland, however, before a biceps injury ended his season. He will now look to find more playing time and better luck on the health front in New Orleans.

James will join a Saints TE room which includes returnee Juwan Johnson and Swiss Army Knife Taysom Hill. New Orleans traded away Adam Trautman during the draft, but they have since signed Foster Moreau in an encouraging sign with respect to his recent cancer diagnosis. James will thus have plenty of competition for playing time in 2023, a season in which the team’s expectations on offense have been raised given the addition of quarterback Derek Carr.

In addition to James, the Saints announced that they have signed fullback Jake Bargas. The former UDFA entered the league with the Vikings, making one appearance with them in each of the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He spent much of the the past campaign on the Dolphins’ practice squad. To make room for those additions, kicker Alex Quevedo has been waived, leaving the Saints with two players (Wil Lutz and Blake Grupe) at that position.

New Orleans Saints News & Rumors