New Orleans Saints

Cornerback Marshon Lattimore has agreed to a five-year extension with the New Orleans Saints worth $97.6 million, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Schefter reported the deal includes $68.3 million in guaranteed money—an NFL record for a cornerback—and can max out at $100 million.

The 2017 first-round pick was under team control through the 2021 season, with his fifth-year team option set to pay him $10.2 million, per Spotrac.

Lattimore has made an impact with the Saints since the first day, starting every game he has played in the NFL. He earned a Pro Bowl selection in his first season and was named the league's Defensive Rookie of the Year.

The 25-year-old has continued his high level of play and has earned Pro Bowl selections in each of the last two years entering 2021.

Pro Football Focus listed him as the No. 2 man coverage cornerback in the NFL from 2017 to 2019, trailing only 2019 Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore.

With 10 interceptions and 55 passes defended in his four seasons, Lattimore has remained a difference-maker for a Saints defense that ranked fifth in the NFL against the pass in 2020.

By signing the Ohio State product to a new extension, New Orleans retains an important piece of the defense under team control for a few more seasons.

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan announced Thursday he's pledging $40,000 to the Second Harvest Food Bank to aid in the city's recovery from Hurricane Ida.

Jordan also noted he's taking $4 Cameo video requests, with all additional revenue from the personalized messages also going to charity to help children in need. Cameo will also donate money for each video Jordan makes.

Here's the Saints star's full Instagram post detailing his plans:

1 in 4 children in Louisiana face hunger and it's only gotten worse since Hurricane Ida. I am personally pledging $40,000 to [Second Harvest Food Bank] to make sure our communities have meals to eat during this difficult time.

In an effort to raise awareness for Second Harvest and the needs in Nola, I'm also offering personalized Cameo videos for just $4. Cameo will be making up the difference to my normal price with all proceeds going toward the donation.

New Orleans has started to make progress in its recovery from Hurricane Ida, a Category 4 storm that struck Louisiana on Aug. 29.

CNN's Aya Elamroussi reported Thursday that power has been restored to 83 percent of customers in the city after widespread power outages and widespread flooding because of the storm. At least 26 people in the state were killed.

The Saints have temporarily moved out of the city so resources can be devoted entirely to the continued recovery efforts and not trying to host an NFL game on Sunday.

They've been practicing in Texas since Hurricane Ida approached the Gulf Coast, and they'll serve as the home team against the Green Bay Packers in Week 1, though the game is going to take place at the Jacksonville Jaguars' TIAA Bank Field in Florida.

Saints head coach Sean Payton said Aug. 31 the team could be displaced for a month.

"We're looking at really the first three, four weeks of the season," Payton told reporters. "We're starting with the idea that let's just say it's a month. I think it's much easier to reel it back in."

The Saints' next chance to host a game in New Orleans will come in Week 4 against the New York Giants on Oct. 3. If that's ruled out, the next home date isn't until Week 8, when they're scheduled to host the reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Halloween.

The New Orleans Saints may be able to resume hosting games at the Caesars Superdome as soon as Week 4, mayor LaToya Cantrell said Wednesday: 

The Saints are slated to host the New York Giants on October 3 in New Orleans but will relocate the game if necessary as cleanup efforts from Hurricane Ida continue throughout the region. 

New Orleans was supposed to open the season at the Superdome this weekend against the Green Bay Packers. Instead that game will be played at Jacksonville's TIAA Bank Field—a decision the team reportedly made, in part, because of how difficult it is for Green Bay fans to travel to the Florida city, per NOLA.com's Jeff Duncan.

The Saints have back-to-back road matches in Weeks 2 and 3. They visit the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 19 followed by the New England Patriots on Sept. 26. 

With nearly a full month before Week 4 rolls around, the Saints should have plenty of time to build out contingency plans should the Superdome remain unusable. 

Per Duncan, those plans should be relatively easy to put together, considering the NFL maintains a list of alternate sites teams can use in case of emergencies. Following Ida, for instance, the Saints were able to choose from a list including AT&T Stadium, Raymond James Stadium and TIAA Bank Field. 

It's unclear which stadiums are currently available for contingency use during Week 4. 

If the Saints are forced to go that route again, they will have a bit of time before returning to New Orleans. The team plays Week 5 at the Washington Football Team, has a bye week immediately after, then travels to face the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 25 in Week 7.

In that scenario, the Saints would officially open their home stadium in Week 8 against division rival and reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Halloween. 

The Houston Texans reportedly agreed to trade cornerback Bradley Roby to the New Orleans Saints on Wednesday, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Roby, 29, has spent the past two seasons with the Texans after spending his first five NFL seasons with the Denver Broncos.

Roby was suspended for the final five games of the 2020 season and is suspended for the first game of 2021 after testing positive for a banned substance last year.

Since Denver made him the No. 31 overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft out of Ohio State, Roby has appeared in 99 regular-season games, starting 49 of them.

He was primarily a reserve in his first four seasons with the Broncos, but he has started all 35 games he's appeared in over the past three years.

Overall, Roby has 311 tackles, 10 interceptions, 75 passes defended, eight forced fumbles and four sacks to his credit as an NFL corner.

In 10 games last season, Roby finished with 37 tackles, seven pass breakups and one pick.

The Saints have been working to bolster their cornerback depth recently after also signing veteran cornerback Desmond Trufant on Monday.

New Orleans was forced to cut Janoris Jenkins in March for salary-cap reasons, and its secondary took another hit during training camp when corner Patrick Robinson retired.

That left the Saints with Ken Crawley and rookie third-round pick Paulson Adebo competing for the No. 2 cornerback spot across from Marshon Lattimore.

Now with Trufant and Roby in the fold, the Saints have a wealth of options, including a few with extensive starting experience.

Roby is joining an underrated Saints defense that ranked fourth in total defense and fifth in points allowed last season, as well as fifth in passing yardage allowed.

While Roby will not be available for the Saints' Week 1 clash with the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, he could play in Week 2 against the Carolina Panthers.

With the 2021 NFL season only days away, New Orleans Saints running back Tony Jones Jr. is quickly watching his fantasy football stock soar.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Tuesday the Saints are releasing Latavius Murray, which moves Jones up the depth chart for Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers.

According to Schefter, Murray declined to take a pay cut, so New Orleans chose to move on. One can also view his departure as a tacit endorsement of Jones since the team is jettisoning a player who had 832 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns in 2020.

Jones logged just three carries as a rookie but enjoyed a strong preseason. He went for 106 yards and one touchdown on the ground in two appearances.

As long as Alvin Kamara is healthy, the 23-year-old will be the No. 2 option in the running game. It's also difficult to fully know what the Saints offense will look like in a post-Drew Brees era.

That shouldn't stop fantasy managers from targeting Jones.

Kamara has yet to eclipse 200 carries in a single season and 2017 was the last time he made it through a full year. Jones figures to get touches on a regular basis—Murray averaged 9.4 carries per game in two years with the Saints—and will find himself thrust into the starting role if Kamara is unavailable.

Based on his college career, Jones' value as a receiver may be limited. In his final two seasons at Notre Dame, he caught 21 passes for 261 yards and two scores. 

But upon finally becoming the Fighting Irish's primary ball-carrier as a senior, he averaged 6.0 yards per carry despite playing behind an average offensive line.

If Jones is still available in your league, then you can't rush fast enough to the waiver wire to scoop him up and get him rostered. There won't be much time to see how New Orleans' backfield situation evolves.

Running back Latavius Murray reportedly did not want a pay cut from the New Orleans Saints and is now a free agent.

On Tuesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Saints released the veteran when he refused to accept a pay cut when the team asked. Murray spent the past two seasons with New Orleans after stints with the Oakland Raiders and Minnesota Vikings.

Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk noted the $2.95 million in base salary the UCF product was scheduled to make in 2021 "is a lot to pay a backup running back" but suggested he will generate interest given his showing last season.

"I'm willing to discuss an opportunity with anyone interested in me," Murray told USA Today's Josina Anderson. "At the same time, Baltimore is a team that was impacted by injuries, has a great chance of winning and a great coaching staff. I just want to get to work."

Murray tallied 656 yards and four touchdowns on the ground while adding 23 catches for 176 yards and another score through the air in 2020. While Alvin Kamara was New Orleans' unquestioned lead back, Murray provided a change of pace and the physicality to run through arm tackles in the box.

He recorded 4.5 yards per carry in 2020—his highest mark since he was a rookie in 2014.

Murray's days of running for more than 1,000 yards in a season like he did in 2015 for the Raiders are likely over, but the 31-year-old proved he can work in a running back rotation and is a veteran-tested option with six playoff games on his resume.

Smith pointed to the Baltimore Ravens as a potential landing spot given season-ending injuries to J.K. Dobbins and Justice Hill in the backfield, although Schefter reported the AFC North team signed Le'Veon Bell to the practice squad on Tuesday.

The New Orleans Saints are reportedly expected to add a veteran presence to their secondary as the 2021 season approaches.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the NFC South team is on the verge of signing cornerback Desmond Trufant after he worked out with the club on Monday. This comes just days before the Saints open their 2021 campaign on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.

Trufant entered the league when the Atlanta Falcons selected him with a first-round pick in the 2013 NFL draft. He played seven seasons with the Falcons before joining the Detroit Lions for one year in 2020.

The Washington product was a Pro Bowler in 2015 and has five seasons with double-digit passes defended on his resume.

However, he appeared in just six games in 2020 for the Lions due to a hamstring injury and finished with 20 tackles, four passes defended and one interception after playing just nine games in 2019 during his final season for the Falcons.

It appeared as if Trufant would suit up for the Chicago Bears this season when he signed with the NFC North team, but ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Aug. 31 that Chicago released him.

Trufant had been away from the Bears and with his family after his father died. Schefter noted at the time that the veteran wanted to continue playing in the NFL, though.

It is not surprising to see the Saints sign a cornerback. After all, John Sigler of USA Today said the team "searched high and low for more help in the secondary" after cutting Janoris Jenkins in March due to salary cap reasons.

Trufant will now look to team up with Marshon Lattimore and help anchor New Orleans' secondary.

When it became clear Hurricane Ida would make playing their Week 1 matchup against the Green Bay Packers at Caesers Superdome impossible, the New Orleans Saints got to work finding a replacement.

They also weren't going to give up their home-field advantage without a fight. 

According to Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com, the Saints settled on Jacksonville's TIAA Bank Field specifically because it would provide a more challenging trip for Packers fans intent on showing up to the season opener. The NFL provided a list of available stadiums for the Saints to choose from with AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Raymond James Stadium in Tampa and Hard Rock Stadium in Miami among the options. 

The team settled on Jacksonville, but not before assessing how tough it would be for Packers fans to travel there.

Per Duncan: 

The Saints even took it a step further. They had a staffer look up Green Bay flights on Expedia and compare the difference in costs and itineraries between Jacksonville, Miami and Tampa. Predictably, Jacksonville was the most difficult and costly destination for Packers fans.

The Cheese Heads still might migrate south for the game, but the Saints certainly didn’t want to make things an easier for Packer Nation to make the trip.

Also taken into consideration was Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers' history of playing in Florida. Rodgers is 3-4 with a 78.1 passer rating in games hosted in Florida. 

Of course, now that the ploy has been made public, there's always a chance it backfires. There's nothing professional athletes love more than free bulletin board material—and tempting fate against a future Hall of Famer like Rodgers isn't always the best route. 

Perhaps that's why Saints general manager Mickey Loomis played coy when discussing the team's selection of TIAA Bank Field.

“We’re conscious of everything when it comes to preparing for an opponent,” Loomis told reporters Wednesday. “There’s just so many variables. I don’t want to get into all of the variables. The main thing is to have a suitable place to play that both teams have access to.”

Just as long as it's a bit less accessible for those coming from Green Bay. 

The NFL is joining in the Hurricane Ida recovery efforts. 

On Wednesday, the league announced it is donating $1 million to the New Orleans Saints Gulf Coast Renewal Fund through the NFL Foundation. 

"Over the next few weeks, the NFL Foundation will work in tandem with the New Orleans Saints to identify nonprofit organizations who will address the immediate needs of those impacted throughout Louisiana," the NFL's statement read.

The league's donation matches pledges previously announced by Saints owner Gayle Benson and Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank. 

Per Mira Rojanasakul and Cedric Sam of Bloomberg, Hurricane Ida made landfall just south of New Orleans on Sunday with wind speeds reaching 150 mph. 

Rebecca Santana and Jay Reeves of the Associated Press noted more than 1 million homes and businesses across Louisiana and Mississippi were left without power and approximately 255,000 people in Louisiana were without water. 

According to Reuters, New Orleans-based electric company Entergy said customers in some of the hardest-hit areas could be without power "for weeks."

The Saints have already said they are preparing to play their games in the first month of the NFL season away from New Orleans due to the ongoing recovery efforts in the city. 

The league confirmed Wednesday that the Saints' Week 1 game against the Green Bay Packers on Sept. 12 will be played at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida.