New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints star wide receiver Michael Thomas is reportedly set to undergo multiple surgeries during the offseason.  

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Thomas will likely have surgery to repair a torn deltoid and multiple injured ligaments in his ankle.

Schefter added that Thomas often didn't practice all week but would play in games during the 2020 season at less than 100 percent and with the help of pain medication. Coaches reportedly told Thomas the team was "much better off with him than without him," and he wanted to tough it out during what was possibly quarterback Drew Brees' final season.

Thomas' on-field fortunes in 2020 contrasted significantly with his record-setting 2019 season.

The two-time All-Pro injured his ankle in the opening week of the season, which put him on the shelf for multiple weeks. As he was working toward his return, he injured his hamstring, delaying his comeback until New Orleans' 38-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 9.

That wasn't the end of his problems, either. The ankle problem resurfaced and proved troublesome enough to land him on injured reserve in December, ruling him out for the remainder of the regular season.

Overall, Thomas managed just 40 receptions for 438 yards and no touchdowns in seven regular-season games after racking up 149 catches for 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns the previous season.

Thomas returned for the playoffs and scored his first touchdown of the season in an NFC Wild Card Round win over the Chicago Bears, but he was held to no catches in an NFC Divisional Round loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Getting Thomas healthy for the 2021 season will be paramount, especially if the Saints are forced to turn to a new starting quarterback such as Taysom Hill, Jameis Winston or someone else.

Drew Brees' season came to an end Sunday night, but his career might not be done just yet.

"I'm gonna give myself an opportunity to think about the season, think about a lot of things, just like I did last year and make a decision," Brees told reporters when asked about retiring following the New Orleans Saints' 30-20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Brees did not, however, reveal what would go into his decision.

"I'll keep that to myself right now," he told reporters, per ESPN's Mike Triplett.

Frankly, the 42-year-old looked about ready to hang it up during the loss.

He struggled to push the ball downfield, missed multiple opportunities to put the game away for his team and held New Orleans back against a team it defeated twice during the regular season. He went 19-of-34 for 134 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.

That statline looked even worse when juxtaposed against the fact Jameis Winston threw a 56-yard touchdown pass on his only throw of the game for the Saints. It is not a stretch to suggest the Saints would have won that game if Winston played instead of Brees.

Regardless of how things turned out in the end, Brees made it clear, per Triplett, that he had "no regrets" about having returned for a 20th season:

No complaints. No regrets. Man, I've always tried to play this game with a great respect and a great reverence for it. And I appreciate all that this game has given to me. There are obviously so many incredible memories, so many incredible relationships that have come as a result of playing this game. And, man, you find out so much about yourself and you have to fight through so much when you play this game.

And I'd say this season, I probably had to fight through more than I've ever had to in any other season in my career—from injury to all the COVID stuff to just crazy circumstances. And it was worth every moment of it. Absolutely.

Brees' quotes after the loss were all the more notable because Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported the quarterback will retire after the season.

If he does eventually retire, there is no questioning his overall greatness. He is a Super Bowl champion, two-time Offensive Player of the Year and 13-time Pro Bowler who sits atop the all-time leaderboard for completed passes and passing yards. He is also second to Tom Brady in passing touchdowns.

While Brees will forever be compared to Brady, who has six Super Bowl rings and defeated him in Sunday's head-to-head matchup, he is a surefire future Hall of Famer who will forever be synonymous with success in New Orleans.

It just didn't come Sunday.

The end of the road may be near for Drew Brees.

Ahead of the New Orleans Saints' divisional-round clash with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported Sunday the future Hall of Fame quarterback is planning to retire upon the conclusion of the team's playoff run:

Brees turned 42 on Friday, so his retirement won't come as a surprise when it does happen. That the 13-time Pro Bowler has already made up his mind is a bit unexpected, though.

The Saints have their starting quarterback signed through the 2021 season, and he's set to count for nearly $36.2 million against the salary cap, due in part to a $25 million salary and $5.8 million signing bonus.

Brees' performance dipped a bit this season relative to recent years. He threw for 2,942 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions. His 245.2 passing yards per game were the lowest of his Saints tenure, which dates back to 2006.

The fractured ribs and collapsed lung he suffered might be playing into his decision, too.

Brees now has the opportunity to ride off into the sunset like John Elway and Peyton Manning, who won a Super Bowl before bowing out. He'd also be giving the Saints some time to formulate a succession plan.

Taysom Hill took the bulk of the snaps when Brees was injured, and unlike Jameis Winston, he's already under contract for next year. Hill's production (88-of-121, 928 yards, four touchdowns, two interceptions) still raises doubts about his suitability in the starting role.

Should the Saints fall short of a Super Bowl title, perhaps Brees could be convinced to give it one more go. But fans better enjoy the legendary signal-caller while they still can.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill (knee) and running back Latavius Murray (quadriceps) have been ruled inactive for Sunday's divisional-round matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  

Hill joined the Saints as an undrafted free agent out of BYU in 2017. He's filled numerous roles for the team ever since, including quarterback, running back, pass-catcher and special teams ace.

The 30-year-old, who signed a two-year, $21 million contract with the Saints last April, received an opportunity to take more snaps on a regular basis when starter Drew Brees suffered 11 rib fractures and a collapsed lung during a pair of games in November, forcing him to go on injured reserve.

The Saints went 3-1 with Hill as the starter.

Brees figures to take all of the snaps at quarterback now, as the Saints don't have a clear replacement for Hill's offensive packages. Ex-Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting quarterback Jameis Winston should be the clear backup to Brees sans Hill.

Murray, 30, rushed for 146 yards and four touchdowns as Alvin Kamara's backup this season. With Kamara expected to handle the majority of the work out of the backfield regardless, and Ty Montgomery available to take some snaps, New Orleans shouldn't be overly burdened by the loss of Murray. 

Since firing Doug Pederson after three seasons on Monday, the Eagles have been lining up a number of head-coaching candidates they want to speak with. 

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Saturday that Philadelphia will interview Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley. 

It's unclear when Staley will be able to meet with the Eagles, as the Rams are scheduled to play the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Round on Saturday afternoon. 

Bieniemy is also coaching in the playoffs, with the Chiefs hosting the Cleveland Browns in the AFC Divisional Round on Sunday. The 51-year-old has already interviewed with five teams, including the Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions and New York Jets. 

Three of those vacancies have since been filled, with Urban Meyer going to Jacksonville, Robert Saleh going to New York and Arthur Smith landing in Atlanta. 

McDaniels has spent the past nine seasons as New England's offensive coordinator. He's been with the organization for 17 seasons dating back to 2001. The 44-year-old went 11-17 in parts of two seasons as head coach for the Denver Broncos from 2009-10. 

In February 2018, the Indianapolis Colts announced McDaniels as their new head coach. He withdrew from the job on the same day, opting instead to remain with the Patriots. 

The Eagles fired Pederson after finishing last in the NFC East with a 4-11-1 record in 2020. 

Some say you shouldn't kick others when they're down. Sean Payton decided to hit the Philadelphia Eagles with some Sweet Chin Music. 

The New Orleans Saints coach threw some shade at the Eagles during his Wednesday meeting with reporters when asked if the team's signing of kicker Blair Walsh and long snapper John Denney to their practice squad this week was similar to Philadelphia's signing of quarterback Josh McCown earlier this season.

"Yeah, we're not looking at the Eagles for any model," Payton quipped.

The Eagles and Saints have a rivalry that includes three playoff matchups in Payton's tenure (all New Orleans wins), but this seems like a comment on Philly's current state of affairs.

Philadelphia just finished a 4-11-1 season that ended with the firing of coach Doug Pederson and will move into the offseason with a capped-out roster lacking in talent and an untenable quarterback situation with Carson Wentz's massive extension kicking in.

To be fair to Payton, that isn't a model any team wants to follow. That said, he may want to avoid throwing any stones with the Saints having their own future cap concerns and a potential issue at quarterback if Drew Brees retires. 

The U.S. Supreme Court vacated on Monday a manslaughter conviction for Cardell Hayes in connection to the shooting of former New Orleans Saints defensive lineman Will Smith. 

According to David Hammer of WWL-TV, the court deemed non-unanimous jury verdicts in the state of Louisiana to be unconstitutional. A jury had convicted Hayes by a 10-2 vote.

Hammer reported the 4th Circuit Court of Appeal in New Orleans will likely grant Hayes a new trial, and Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams will have the final authority to pursue charges against him once again.

A jury found Hayes guilty in December 2016 of manslaughter in Smith's death and attempted manslaughter after Smith's wife, Racquel, was also struck.

According to Yahoo Sports' Dan Wetzel, Hayes and Smith got into an argument following a minor car accident on April 9, 2016. The altercation allegedly became physical, with friends of both men becoming involved. 

Hayes shot Smith eight times, saying he had done so in self-defense. However, the testimony from others at the scene contradicted his account and downplayed the extent of the altercation immediately preceding the shooting.

The jury didn't vote in favor of murder and attempted murder charges against Hayes. Per Hammer, Hayes' appellate attorney said only the manslaughter charge would apply in a new trial because of the jury's decision.

The New Orleans Saints defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers twice this season, but quarterback Drew Brees knows both teams are "different" as they head into their postseason matchup.

"They're a great football team. They're playing very, very well right now," he said during an interview with Tracy Wolfson of CBS Sports after leading the Saints to a 21-9 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday. "We know what type of game that's going to be. They're a divisional opponent, so we played them twice this year. But I'd say they're a different team right now, and we're a different team right now."

Brees later added that a playoff showdown against Brady was "inevitable."

"The minute that he signed with the Bucs and came to the division, you felt like that was going to be a team to contend with, that was going to be a team that would have playoff aspirations and beyond, just like us," Brees told reporters. "So, I guess it was inevitable."

Both teams had to win their wild-card matchups to set up a third showdown.

Tom Brady led the Buccaneers to a 31-23 win over the Washington Football Team on Saturday by throwing for 381 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Brees was also impressive Sunday against the Bears and threw for 265 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions.

While they won't be on the field at the same time, the quarterback matchup will be the biggest storyline for the NFC Divisional Round game.

After all, they are first and second on the all-time list in completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns as two of the best signal-callers in NFL history. They are both surefire future Hall of Famers, although Brady has six Super Bowl titles to Brees' one.

Yet Brees has enjoyed bragging rights this year.

His Saints won the NFC South and defeated Tampa Bay by a combined 46 points during the two regular-season games. The second one was a 38-3 blowout that saw the Saints' formidable defense intercept Brady three times and sack him three times.

Tampa Bay has won five in a row, though, underscoring Brees' suggestion it is a different team than the last time they met.

Stretching that winning streak to six in New Orleans would be quite an accomplishment, even for the all-time great Brady.

New Orleans Saints star Alvin Kamara was activated off his team's reserve/COVID list and is expected to play in Sunday's playoff game against the Chicago Bears, according to Saints reporter Nick Underhill.

Wideout Michael Thomas has been declared active as well. 

Kamara was placed on the team's reserve list ahead of the Week 17 battle against the Carolina Panthers.

Despite being inactive, he practiced virtually during the week with the Saints "hopeful" he could play in the wild-card matchup, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The running back then hinted at his return on Twitter:

His return gives New Orleans a major boost, as he's one of the best offensive playmakers in the NFL.

Kamara was named second-team All-Pro after finishing the season with a career-high 932 rushing yards plus 756 receiving yards on 83 catches. He led the NFL with 21 offensive touchdowns despite missing the final game of the year.

The 25-year-old did have some quiet games but was truly at his best in Week 16, scoring six rushing touchdowns in a Christmas Day win over the Minnesota Vikings.

In a year when key players like Drew Brees, Michael Thomas and Terron Armstead missed time, Kamara was a major reason the Saints still finished 2020 ranked fifth in the NFL in total points scored.

With the versatile running back healthy, New Orleans will now hope to overcome its recent history and make a deep run in the playoffs. The Saints were eliminated in the first round last year, the second straight season of suffering a home overtime loss in the postseason.

Kamara had only 55 yards from scrimmage in last year's loss to the Vikings.

The four-time Pro Bowler will hope for more in the upcoming battle against Chicago.