New Orleans Saints

Several teams in need of help in the backfield are reportedly interested in making a move for Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack. 

The Kansas City Chiefs, Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints are among teams that have inquired about the former fourth-round pick, per Josina Anderson of CBS Sports. 

Mack and the Colts mutually agreed to seek a trade last month, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported. The 25-year-old discussed the decision a few days after the report.

"Just had an agreement with what's best for me,'' Mack said, via Mike Chappell of Fox 59. "They were just all with it. They supported me 100 percent. It's a mutual agreement I would say.''

It's not surprising that Mack and the Colts are ready to part ways. The Florida native has played just 54 snaps in four games this season, rushing for 97 yards and no touchdowns on 25 carries. 

Mack's best season came in 2019 when he rushed for 1,091 yards and eight touchdowns. When he went down with an Achilles injury in 2020, Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines emerged as the top running backs in Indy.

The fifth-year pro has since become an afterthought in the offense behind Taylor and Hines, who have combined for 573 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns in six games. 

None of the teams mentioned by Anderson that have shown interest in Mack come as a surprise. The Chiefs are looking for help at running back after losing Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who has been placed on injured reserve, to a sprained MCL. 

Behind Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City could use some depth. While Darrel Williams has rushed for 161 yards and four touchdowns this season, including two rushing scores in last weekend's win over the Washington Football Team, third-string back Jerick McKinnon has just four carries for 12 yards in six games. McKinnon only recently saw an uptick in his number of offensive snaps because of Edwards-Helaire's injury. 

The Panthers could also use depth at running back behind Chuba Hubbard and Royce Freeman. Star back Christian McCaffrey is on injured reserve with a hamstring ailment, and it's unclear when he might return to the field. 

Hubbard, a 2021 fourth-round pick of the Panthers, has rushed for 281 yards and a touchdown in six games this season, and his production doesn't even come close to that of McCaffrey's. As for Freeman, he only has 12 carries for 34 yards in six games and has been used sparingly in comparison to Hubbard. 

San Francisco has been in need of running back help since the 2021 campaign began. The 49ers lost starting back Raheem Mostert to a season-ending knee injury in Week 1, and JaMycal Hasty is also on injured reserve with a high-ankle sprain. 

The Niners drafted Trey Sermon and Elijah Mitchell in April, and they have combined for 324 yards and two touchdowns in a combined seven games, but adding a veteran such as Mack could be beneficial. 

The Saints are also in need of depth, with little behind four-time Pro Bowler Alvin Kamara. Tony Jones Jr. is set to miss an extended period with an ankle injury, and the only running backs behind Kamara are Devine Ozigbo and Dwayne Washington. 

Ozigbo has appeared in one game this season, playing just seven snaps in a Week 5 win against WFT. Washington has been active for five games this season but has just one carry for five yards. 

With each of these teams in desperate need of help as the Nov. 2 trade deadline approaches, Mack's price could end up being higher than expected. However, it's unclear what Indy is asking for in negotiations.  

New Orleans Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins has purchased a minority stake in English Premier League club Burnley.

Jenkins explained why he was drawn to the Clarets in Wednesday's announcement:

I'm excited to enter this new relationship, as Burnley FC is known for its tenacity, work ethic, good sportsmanship and efficient operational infrastructure. It's a great fit for me personally and my company to invest in the growth of the sport alongside a historic organization that aligns with our company values.

The Athletic's Matt Slater reported in January that ALK Capital paid around £150 million to purchase an 84 percent stake in Burnley, continuing the ongoing trend of American firms taking control of English clubs.

With Wednesday's deal, Jenkins claimed a minority stake in the investment group after having already launched his own venture capital fund.

After returning to the Premier League in 2016, Burnley has been able to avoid getting dragged into a relegation fight for the most part. That may not be the case this season. The club is 18th in the table, having won none and drawn three of its first eight fixtures.

The New Orleans Saints are signing former Pro Bowl running back Lamar Miller to their practice squad, his agent confirmed to ESPN's Adam Schefter on Tuesday. 

Miller has not appeared in an NFL game since Week 10 of the 2020 season when he played five snaps for the Chicago Bears in a loss to the Minnesota Vikings. 

The 30-year-old joins a Saints running back room that includes Alvin Kamara as RB1. However, New Orleans is thin at the position with second-year back Tony Jones Jr. sidelined with an ankle injury.

Ty Montgomery, Devine Ozigbo and special teamer Dwayne Washington served as Kamara's backup in a 33-22 win over the Washington Football Team on October 10.

The Miami Dolphins selected Miller in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He appeared in 61 games for the franchise, racking up 2,930 rushing yards and 19 rushing touchdowns across four seasons before signing a free-agent contract with the Houston Texans before the 2016 campaign.

In three seasons with the Texans, Miller rushed for 2,934 yards and scored 18 touchdowns. He earned his only Pro Bowl selection in 2018 after rushing for 973 yards and five scores.

Miller was having a solid career up until he tore his ACL during the 2019 preseason. He missed the entire campaign and later signed with the New England Patriots in August 2020 but was released during training camp.

After being released by New England, the Miami product joined the Bears practice squad, but his Week 10 appearance was the only game he played in 2020.

Miller was with Washington during the 2021 preseason, but he was released at the end of training camp. In 106 career games, he has rushed for 5,864 yards and 32 touchdowns.

The Florida native is a solid pickup for the Saints, though it's unclear if he'll be active for any games this season. New Orleans relies heavily on Kamara, who has played 83.2 percent of offensive snaps this season.  

New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill was carted off the field in Sunday's game against the Washington Football Team after taking a hit to the helmet. 

He was subsequently ruled out with a concussion. 

Hill spent the first four years of his NFL career as a multifaceted playmaker for the Saints, tallying 22 total touchdowns (11 rushing, seven receiving and four passing) across 53 games.

His focus switched to quarterback in the offseason with the retirement of future Hall of Famer Drew Brees, but he lost the competition for the starting job to Jameis Winston.

He's tallied two TDs in his wide-ranging role so far in 2021.

The 31-year-old BYU product has remained mostly durable since joining New Orleans early in the 2017 season after going undrafted. He appeared in all 48 games over the past three seasons.

Winston should handle all of the quarterback snaps if Hill is sidelined. Trevor Siemian will move up the depth chart into the backup role.

Although Hill has provided value to the Saints offense in myriad ways over the years, he's always been focused on ultimately proving himself as a quarterback. Any type of extended absence via injury would be another setback in his effort to achieve that goal. 

Following in the footsteps of longtime New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, current starter Jameis Winston made a sizable donation toward hurricane relief in the New Orleans area.

According to NFL.com's Steve Wyche, Winston donated $50,000 to the United Way of Southeast Louisiana to help those impacted by Hurricane Ida in late August and early September.

Winston said the following regarding his donation in a statement:

"Hurricane Ida has caused widespread devastation in our community and has impacted the lives of so many people across the state of Louisiana. My teammates and I are committed to helping our community bounce back and persevere day by day during this difficult time."

Wyche noted that Winston also donated 65,000 units of water to the Boys and Girls Club, the New Orleans Police, first responders and others, in addition to donating money to the World Central Kitchen in Southeast Louisiana.

Per Sophie Reardon of CBS News, a total of 82 deaths were reported in the United States because of Hurricane Ida as of Sept. 9 with 26 of them occurring in Louisiana. There was also significant property damage and displacement in Louisiana.

The storm was so significant that the Saints had to play their scheduled Week 1 home game against the Green Bay Packers in Jacksonville, Florida, rather than New Orleans.

Winston's predecessor, Brees, was active in the New Orleans community throughout his career and helped aid in the revitalization of the city after 2005's Hurricane Katrina when he signed with the Saints in 2006.

The 27-year-old Winston has the Saints off to a 2-1 start this season, and he has thrown for 387 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions, while also rushing for a score.

Winston and the Saints will make their return to New Orleans on Sunday when they host the struggling New York Giants at the Caesars Superdome.

Gayle Benson, who owns the NFL's New Orleans Saints and NBA's New Orleans Pelicans, announced Wednesday the franchises will be sold following her death with the proceeds being donated to charities around the city.

Benson, 74, told Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune that executives are working to ensure the winning bidder will keep both teams in New Orleans. Her husband, Tom, died in 2018.

"When Tom bought this team, he didn't have a lot of money," she said. "Everything that he had, had to be given to keep the team. He worked really hard to get the Pelicans here. He sacrificed a lot. I want to make sure that we keep the teams here. I want them to stay in New Orleans forever."

Benson has no heirs, so the succession plan calls for team executives to handle the sale. Saints President Dennis Lauscha will serve as executor of her estate and handle the process.

"The league is fine with it," Lauscha told Duncan. "Every year the NFL requires that teams submit what their succession plans are going to be, and we've been filing ours since the league mandated it a handful of years ago."

At issue is the Saints' current lease with New Orleans to use the Caesars Superdome, which runs through 2025. The expiration of a lease is the most common time for rumors of small-market teams moving to a larger market to emerge. The Buffalo Bills, whose lease expires in 2023, have been linked to Austin, Texas, while trying to finalize plans with state and local officials in New York for a new stadium.

Benson said she's doing everything in her power to ensure that doesn't become an issue for the Saints.

"That's going to be one of our stipulations when we sell the team—that it stays here," she told Duncan. "Dennis won't sell it to another person that wants to take it away."

Lauscha added: "We're a small market, but we don't feel like we take a back seat to anybody. We expect to be No. 1 in everything that we do."

The Pelicans' lease to use the Smoothie King Center runs through 2024, and John Hollinger of The Athletic reported in June his sources "consistently mention New Orleans as the most likely team to seek relocation in the coming decade."

"Our intent absolutely is to structure the deals in a way so that both teams can be here for a very long time," Lauscha said. "We want to make sure if a new owner is coming into this market, not only do they see that this market is viable, but they also can see that financially it makes sense."

The Saints president added he "regularly receives calls from interested suitors" for both franchises should they become available.

Benson, a New Orleans native, became the principal owner of the teams after the death of her husband, who had reached a settlement agreement in 2017 with his daughter from a prior marriage and her children to settle a lawsuit related to ownership stakes.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston has had an up-and-down NFL career. A clear indication of that is how he followed his five-touchdown performance in Week 1 with zero scores and two interceptions in a 26-7 loss to the Panthers on Sunday.

Still, that type of inconsistency will not cause New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick to underestimate Winston ahead of Sunday's matchup.

"He’s a really good quarterback," Belichick told Ryan Hannable of WEEI on Wednesday.

Belichick has seen Winston up close just once in a 2017 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who drafted Winston with the No. 1 overall pick in 2015. Winston threw for 334 yards and a touchdown as the Buccaneers lost, 19-14. That was enough to make Belichick a believer in Winston's skills as a quarterback.

"He threw for 5,000 yards in Tampa, so it’s not like this guy hasn’t been productive," Belichick continued. "He’s big. He’s strong. He’s accurate. He’s got good touch on the ball."

Winston led the league with 5,109 passing yards in 2019, but he also threw a league-high 30 interceptions that year. Winston parted ways with the Buccaneers that offseason and he landed with the Saints as the backup to Drew Brees in what turned out to be his final season.

Coming into this season, Winston was in a competition for the Saints' starting quarterback job with Taysom Hill. Winston won the job after a stellar preseason. Belichick respects how Winston has adjusted to leading the offense.

"The offense that he ran in Tampa was a lot different than the offense he’s running in New Orleans," Belichick said. "But fundamentally this is a big strong guy who can throw the ball accurately. He’s very good down the field. He’s a tough guy to tackle. He’s strong in the pocket. He can make every throw on the field. He’s pretty good."

Both the Saints and Patriots have a 1-1 record heading into Sunday's game.     

The roof of the New Orleans Saints' Caesars Superdome caught fire Tuesday, according to videos circulating on social media.

The New Orleans Fire Department said it was in the process of responding to the fire and was quickly able to tame the blaze. 

One person was taken to the hospital with minor burns. A crew was power-washing the roof in preparation for it to be painted.

No cause has been determined at this time.

The Saints have been away from New Orleans since Hurricane Ida caused severe damage across the city. They are set to return for their New Orleans home opener in Week 4 against the New York Giants.

It's unclear at this time whether the fire will impact those plans.

The New Orleans Saints announced Friday they will be without seven coaches for Sunday's road game against the Carolina Panthers because of COVID-19 protocols.

Offensive coaches Jim Chaney, Declan Doyle, Phil Galiano, Curtis Johnson, Brendan Nugent, Dan Roushar, and Joel Thomas will all be unavailable with the remaining staff sharing responsibilities going forward.

Saints head coach Sean Payton announced six coaches tested positive for COVID-19 this week but all were vaccinated, per Mike Triplett of ESPN. They needed negative tests on Friday and Saturday to be cleared to participate in Sunday's game.

Payton said Friday the assistants have been away from the facility, but have still played a role in meetings while setting up the offense.

"And the No. 1 thing is they're getting rested and getting healthy," he added. 

Though Payton and offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael will be available, the staff will certainly be shorthanded offensively. Johnson is among the more experienced coaches on the staff as the senior offensive assistant and wide receivers coach. Roushar (run game coordinator/tight end coach), Nugent (offensive line coach) and Thomas (running backs coach) are also significant losses.

This news comes as the team also deals with several notable injuries:

The Saints are looking to keep their momentum after a dominant 38-3 win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 1.  

After the New Orleans Saints played its Week 1 home game in Jacksonville because of Hurricane Ida, head coach Sean Payton said Friday the team is expecting to return to the Superdome for their next home game in Week 4, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. 

The Saints have two road games coming up: Sunday against the Carolina Panthers and September 26 against the New England Patriots. They return home to face the New York Giants on October 3, which should take place in New Orleans if everything goes to plan.

In the meantime, the team will continue to train at TCU in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Saints initially decided to move its Week 1 home game against the Green Bay Packers early in September because of the damage to New Orleans' infrastructure during Hurricane Ida.  

"I am proud of the collective communications that occurred between many entities in a short amount of time that led to us making this decision," owner Gayle Benson said in a statement. "It is never easy to make a decision that involves not playing a Saints home game in the Caesars Superdome, but I am confident that this is the right decision for our city at this juncture."

According to Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com, the team determined Jacksonville was a difficult travel destination for Green Bay fans, preserving a measure of home-field advantage. The strategy apparently paid off with a shocking 38-3 win for the Saints.

The Saints will still enjoy a return home, where it has been one of the most successful teams in the NFL in recent seasons.

Over the past four years, the squad has a 25-7 record at the Superdome during the regular season with at least six wins each season.