New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas is "expected to miss" the start of the 2021 NFL season as he recovers from ankle surgery he had in June.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported details Friday:

The timetable suggests Thomas may not return until October.

Any setback to the 28-year-old's recovery is going to cause concern for the Saints, both because of how important he is to the offense and what happened last season. He played just seven games in 2020 as a result of injury concerns.

When healthy, the Ohio State product is one of the best playmakers in the league.

The three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro selection was the 2019 Offensive Player of the Year thanks to his 149 catches for 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns.

Look for the Saints to rely even more on the combination of Tre'Quan Smith, Deonte Harris and Marquez Callaway if Thomas is sidelined. Running back Alvin Kamara will likely have additional opportunities in the aerial attack as well.

The New Orleans Saints will now play in the Caesars Superdome after naming rights for the stadium were approved Thursday, according to Greg Hilburn of the Lafayette Daily Adviser.

Caesars Entertainment, known for its Caesars Palace casinos, agreed to a 20-year deal with the team that was approved by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. It will make the stadium the first in the NFL named after a gambling company.

According to Julie O'Donoghue of the Louisiana Illuminator, the deal is worth $138 million.

Fans can get an early look at the expected changes for the new Caesars Superdome:

The iconic venue had been known as the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for the past 10 years until the naming rights expired this month.

Mercedes-Benz currently holds the naming rights for the home of the Atlanta Falcons, the Saints' division rival in the NFC South.

The Superdome is one of the most well-known stadiums in the NFL, home to the Saints since 1975. The venue has hosted seven Super Bowls, most recently Super Bowl XLVII as the Baltimore Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers.

The title game will be held in New Orleans again in February 2025.

The Superdome has also hosted College Football Playoff and Final Four games in the past and is always a consideration for future events, meaning Caesars will likely get its money's worth in visibility over the next two decades.

Free-agent linebacker Kwon Alexander is visiting with the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Schefter added the interest in Alexander's services extends beyond New Orleans.

The 26-year-old made seven appearances for the Saints in 2020 following a midseason trade from the San Francisco 49ers. Across 12 games for both teams, he finished with 57 tackles, two forced fumbles and one sack.

Alexander suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon in December. According to Schefter, he's clear to work out in football-related drills.

In some cases, professional athletes haven't been the same after experiencing a major Achilles injury. But the Brooklyn Nets' Kevin Durant and Seattle Storm's Breanna Stewart have made successful returns to the basketball court, and Richard Sherman played his way into the 2019 Pro Bowl after his July 2018 injury.

Before the Achilles tear, Alexander's value had dropped a bit since he reached his only Pro Bowl in 2017. A torn ACL and torn pectoral muscle limited him to 14 games across 2018 and 2019.

Given his injury problems, it seems unlikely that Alexander will land a massive multiyear contract. He's a sensible short-term gamble, though.

Because they didn't have much financial wiggle room, the Saints made few outside offseason additions. With just under $12.3 million to spend, per Spotrac, pursuing Alexander is a cost-effective way for New Orleans to augment a defense that allowed the fourth-fewest yards per game (310.9) in 2020.

After 14 seasons in the NFL, Ted Ginn Jr. has announced his retirement. 

The 36-year-old explained his decision on Friday at a press conference. 

“I’ve dedicated my entire life to football until now,” Ginn said. “I’m going out in peace. ... On my own terms, not forced out.”

Prior to starting his professional career, Ginn was one of the best college football players in the country during his three seasons at Ohio State. He was named to the first team All-Big Ten as a junior in 2006 after recording 781 receiving yards and 706 return yards on special teams. 

After declaring for the 2007 NFL draft, Ginn's unique playmaking skill as a receiver and returner made him the No. 9 pick by the Miami Dolphins. He recorded a career-high 790 receiving yards and 56 receptions in 2008. 

Ginn is best known for his stints with the Carolina Panthers (2013, 2015-16) and New Orleans Saints (2017-19).

The Ohio native recorded three consecutive seasons with at least 700 receiving yards from 2015-17 and led the Panthers with 10 touchdown catches in 2015. He played in two Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers (2012) and Panthers (2015). 

Ginn also spent time with the Arizona Cardinals and Chicago Bears. He appeared in just six games last season before being released by the Bears after Week 8. 

In 193 career games, Ginn racked up 412 receptions, 5,742 yards and 33 touchdowns as a receiver. He also put up 6,899 kickoff return yards, 2,624 punt return yards and seven special teams touchdowns. 

New Orleans Saints defensive tackle David Onyemata announced Friday he's facing an NFL suspension to open the 2021 season after testing positive for a banned substance.

Nick Underhill of WWLTV reported Onyemata would be suspended for six games. 

Katherine Terrell of The Athletic provided a statement Onyemata posted on Instagram:

The 28-year-old defensive lineman previously received a one-game suspension in June 2019 for a violation of the league's substance-abuse policy. He missed the first contest of the 2019 campaign.

Onyemata was selected by the Saints in the fourth round of the 2016 draft out of the University of Manitoba in Canada.

After spending most of his first three NFL seasons as a reserve, he became a full-time starter for New Orleans in 2019. He received a terrific 88.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus for his 15 appearances during the 2020 season.

In June, Onyemata told John DeShazier of the Saints' official website he planned to take on a larger leadership role in 2021.

"We've got a group of younger guys in here, [but] we've got a pretty good group right now," he said. "Right now, I'd say I'm the second oldest guy in the D-line room, so I've got to take that role as a leader in that room."

In all, Onyemata has recorded 167 total tackles, 16 sacks, five passes defended, one forced fumble and one interception across 78 games for the Saints. He's heading into the second season of a three-year, $26 million contract with the club.

Malcolm Roach, Ryan Glasgow and Christian Ringo lead the group of New Orleans linemen who'll likely compete throughout training camp and the preseason to fill the void next to Shy Tuttle at the outset of the regular season.

The New Orleans Saints were committed to 13-time Pro Bowl quarterback Drew Brees when he decided to return for the 2020 NFL season.

That's what Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said on the Adam Schein Podcast when asked whether New Orleans "kicked the tires" on signing quarterback Tom Brady (24-minute mark).

“All I can say is this," Loomis said, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. "As soon as Drew made the decision that he was gonna play again last year, then that’s the route we were going. That’s probably all I’m gonna say to that.”

The Saints could have been a potential option for Brady as 13-time Pro Bowler Brees contemplated retirement, but he decided to return for one final season.

Brady ended up choosing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency prior to the 2020 NFL season, ending his 20-year career with the New England Patriots. He won his seventh career Super Bowl after the Bucs beat the Kansas City Chiefs.

Brees' Saints became NFC South champions after finishing 12-4 and edging the 11-5 Bucs by one game.

The Saints took the Bucs down twice in the regular season, but Brady's team got the last laugh in the playoffs with a 30-20 win over New Orleans in the NFC Divisional Round.

The Bucs then defeated the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game before a dominant 31-9 win over the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.

After the season, Brees retired, ending a surefire Pro Football Hall of Fame career. The Saints have Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill at quarterback.

Brady and the Bucs are looking for back-to-back Super Bowl titles. They return all 22 offensive and defensive starters.

The New Orleans Saints and offensive lineman Ryan Ramczyk reportedly agreed on a five-year, $96 million contract extension Wednesday to make him the NFL's highest-paid right tackle at $19.2 million annually.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported details of the deal.

The extension, which goes into effect after the 2021 season and runs through 2026, includes $60 million in guaranteed money, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Ramczyk joined the Saints as a first-round pick in the 2017 draft following a standout finish to his collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin, highlighted by being named a First-Team All-American in 2016.

He immediately joined New Orleans' starting lineup as a rookie and has proceeded to appear in 63 of a possible 64 regular-season games over the past four years. He was voted a First-Team All-Pro in 2019.

Ramczyk started all 16 contests for the Saints last year and earned a strong 81.5 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.

The 6'6'', 314-pound tackle previously said he didn't have any plans for a holdout if the extension didn't come before the start of the new season.

"It's not going to change what I'm doing, how I train, how I approach the offseason," Ramczyk told reporters in early June. "When camp comes around, I'm going to be here."

Now he'll arrive at training camp with an extension already in place.

Along with the highest annual value among right tackles, the contract is also $24 million higher in total value than any other player at the position (Lane Johnson of the Philadelphia Eagles is in second at $72 million), per Spotrac.

Ramczyk and the Saints will kick off the 2021 season Sept. 12 when they host the Green Bay Packers in the first game of the post-Drew Brees era. Whether the star tackle will be blocking for Jameis Winston or Taysom Hill will be one of the key questions of camp.

Alvin Kamara announced Sunday he was partnering with NASCAR as a "growth and engagement advisor" for the racing body. 

What Kamara will be doing in this new role is unclear. But it isn't the New Orleans Saints running back's first connection to the sport. 

In February, the juice bar chain The Big Squeezy—co-owned by Kamara—partnered with JD Motorsports to sponsor Gary Keller's No. 6 car driven by Ryan Vargas. 

And he told reporters later in February that he was hoping to see NASCAR become more inclusive and diverse. 

"We've been hitting it on the head: It’s about diversity," he said. "Just opening the gates to welcome in new fans and new people that may have had interest but didn't feel comfortable or people that don't even understand the sport and may be indifferent about it but willing to give it a chance. I think there's a whole new set of possibilities that can come with what's going on right now."

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston said Tuesday he's eager to compete with Taysom Hill for the team's starting job following the retirement of future Hall of Famer Drew Brees.

"One year not playing has just made me even hungrier to get back at the [helm] and lead a team," Winston told reporters. "My about-to-be seven years in this league has been a blessing, because I worked my whole life to have the opportunity to be a starting quarterback in this league."

Winston signed a one-year contract with the Saints last April. It was assumed he'd serve as the chief reserve behind Brees, but when New Orleans' longtime starter suffered broken ribs and a collapsed lung in November that landed him on injured reserve for a month, the offense was handed to Hill instead.

The multifaceted playmaker handled the audition well. He completed 71.9 percent of his throws for 834 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions across four starts. He added 209 rushing yards and four scores on the ground while the Saints posted a 3-1 record.

Although the front office had an opportunity to hand the offense to Hill on a full-time basis without competition, it re-signed Winston in March to create a head-to-head battle for training camp and the preseason.

Winston's last chance to start came in 2019 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He threw for 5,109 yards and 33 touchdowns but also threw 30 interceptions as part of an up-and-down campaign.

Now the 27-year-old Florida State product will have an opportunity to earn the starting role within a talented Saints offense. He explained Tuesday the goal of the competition with Hill is to "be our best selves."

"That is what I respect about Taysom, because he's a man who can do so many great things for this team, and he has done so many great things for this organization since he's been here," Winston said. "So just trying to find ways to serve him and work with him is going to make both of us better in terms of leading our teammates and working with them as well."

Hill added: "I think there's obviously a lot of conversation here about this competition and everything else—but I'm super supportive of him, and I've felt nothing but support from him as well."

It's a hard race to handicap because the New Orleans offense would probably be its most dangerous with Winston as the starter and Hill staying in his usual do-it-all role with some quarterback snaps mixed in, but Hill has maintained throughout his career he sees himself as a franchise signal-caller.

Saints head coach Sean Payton noted he'll let the situation play out then craft the final offense from there.

"We'll build it a little bit around that player accordingly. That's something that we did when Drew first arrived here and that we would do with either of these two players," Payton told reporters Tuesday.

Given the Saints' status as a perennial title contender when Brees was leading the offense, either Winston or Hill will have some massive shoes to fill once the 2021 season kicks off in September.

The New Orleans Saints will reportedly host cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick for a visit, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The free agent also recently visited the New England Patriots, per Rapoport.

Kirkpatrick spent eight of his nine NFL seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, starting 62 of his 64 games from 2015-19. He joined the Arizona Cardinals on a one-year deal last offseason and appeared in 14 games (11 starts) while totaling three interceptions and seven passes defended.

The 2012 first-round pick allowed an 80.1 passer rating on the 94 targets against him last season, per Pro Football Reference.

This addition could fill a major hole for the Saints, as ESPN's Mike Triplett noted:

New Orleans released starter Janoris Jenkins in the offseason as part of a salary-cap crunch and did little to replace him, leaving few options at cornerback opposite Pro Bowler Marshon Lattimore.

Patrick Robinson could be an option after making four starts in 2020, but the 11-year veteran hasn't played more than 25 percent of defensive snaps in any of the last three years with New Orleans.

Third-round draft pick Paulson Adebo could also be thrust into a major role as a rookie.

Adding Kirkpatrick would take some pressure off the defensive secondary as the Saints look to remain in contention next season.