New Orleans Saints

A historic season for New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas has resulted in him being named the 2019 NFL Offensive Player of the Year. 

Thomas beat out candidates such as Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey and Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry.

The most receptions ever in one season.

Michael Thomas is the 2019 Offensive Player of the Year! @cantguardmike

📺: #NFLHonors | 8pm ET on FOX pic.twitter.com/fggzDXtlX2

— NFL (@NFL) February 1, 2020

Thomas is the first wide receiver to be named Offensive Player of the Year since Jerry Rice in 1993. 

WOW 🤯🙏🏾

— Michael Thomas (@Cantguardmike) February 1, 2020

Congrats to my dude cantguardmike for winning Offensive POY!!! Well deserved. He’s just getting started!! https://t.co/N7DPWhuGwJ

— Drew Brees (@drewbrees) February 1, 2020

Before the start of last season, Thomas made history when he became the first non-quarterback offensive player to sign a contract worth up to $100 million. The 26-year-old received that deal after recording at least 92 receptions, 1,137 yards and five touchdowns in each of his first three years. 

The 2019 campaign saw Thomas continue his evolution into an unstoppable playmaker on the outside for Saints quarterback Drew Brees. He set an NFL record with 149 receptions, and his 1,725 yards were the seventh-most in a single season in league history.

Michael Thomas led the NFL with 149 catches this year, 33 ahead of Christian McCaffrey, who was No. 2 with 116. The gap of 33 catches between the leader and No. 2 is the biggest since 1942, when Don Hutson led the NFL with 74 catches and Pop Ivy finished second with 27 catches.

— Michael David Smith (@MichaelDavSmith) December 31, 2019

Michael Thomas' 2019 stats: 149 receptions, 1,725 yards, 9 touchdowns.

Michael Thomas' Ohio State stats (2012, 2014-15): 113 receptions, 1,602 yards, 18 touchdowns.

— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) December 31, 2019

Thomas is also an efficient playmaker who has caught at least 80 percent of his targets in each of the past two seasons. The 26-year-old had a stretch of eight 100-yard games over nine weeks from Oct. 20 to Dec. 22.

In a year full of memorable offensive performances, Thomas' week-to-week consistency at a position dependent on the quarterback was a clear standout and worthy of being honored as the best of the year.

Drew Brees shook up the NFL offseason's quarterback carousel last week when reports began to surface the league's all-time passing leader was considering retirement. The 19-year veteran finally addressed his impending decision Friday on NFL Network's Super Bowl Live by explaining what he's weighing before committing to return in 2020. 

"When I walk away, I don't want it to be because I can't play the game anymore because there's 32 teams saying, 'Alright, see ya later,'" Brees said. "I want it to be on my own terms first. And I want it to be because I just want to spend more time with my family. I'm ready for that next chapter. When that time comes, I'll know. I also recognize when the season ends you just take some time and decompress and kind of just go through that process the right way."

That echoes what Saints head coach Sean Payton noted on Thursday when he said the team would give Brees time to make up his mind. Brees is slated to become a free agent on March 18 and it's likely New Orleans will need a decision from him before then. All three quarterbacks on the Saints' roster—Brees, Teddy Bridgewater and Taysom Hill—can enter free agency this offseason. 

Payton noted the idea of keeping all three is essentially impossible. Especially with Bridgewater's desire to start in the NFL. There's a chance he'll get the opportunity to do so with New Orleans, but that entirely depends on if Brees comes back or not.

Before Brees is able to figure that out, he apparently needs to forget about football for a bit and come down from the intensity of another season.

"There's definitely a process that takes place when you think about this," Brees said. "It's not like you just wake up one day and decide you want to retire. First and foremost, it's the time that I commit to playing the game of football. Maybe people don't realize just all that goes into that just mentally, emotionally, psychologically the way that you prepare for a season and go through training camp and go through the season. Time away from my family then just the mental aspect of what goes into the stress that's involved there."

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Warren Sharp joins Adam Lefkoe on The Lefkoe Show in Miami to preview every single football element of the biggest game of the year. Coaching matchups, personnel groupings, and of course, our favorite EDSR score ratings. And stick around for the end, and you’ll even get some of Lefkoe and Sharp’s favorite Prop Bet recommendations. Thanks so much for listening all season long, 33%! So much more to come in 2020.

Amid talk of a possible retirement by Drew Brees and with Teddy Bridgewater set to become a free agent, New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton seems to have accepted the inevitable: the three QB attack of Brees, Bridgewater and Taysom Hill is over.

"To have all three of those guys back is probably very unlikely," Payton told NFL Network's Super Bowl Live on Thursday. "You really appreciate the season you had when you had all three of them."

Hill is currently a restricted free agent and is likely to remain in New Orleans. With Brees and Bridgewater both about to hit the open market, there's a chance the Saints lose both. That would come as a massive blow to what was one of the NFL's most explosive offenses this season. 

The trio combined for 4,418 yards, 36 touchdowns and six interceptions while leading New Orleans to a 13-3 record (Bridgewater went 5-0 while starting in place of an injured Brees). Hill also ran for 156 yards and a touchdown while amassing 234 receiving yards and six touchdowns. 

At a time when NFL offenses are more inventive than ever, Payton continued to pace the league by mixing up his QBs on the field and designing packages that successfully misdirected defenses. Of the three, none is more important to New Orleans' success than Brees. As he contemplates retirement, Payton says the emphasis is on making sure there are no rash decisions.

"We talked about this and it was something that I think most importantly for him he wanted a little bit of time to spend with his family. I think none of us try to make any decisions when the season ends right away. You need a little bit of time after it. I think we'll know sooner than later. It's not anything about money, it's not anything about other teams. It's strictly the toll and the energy required to do what he does day in and day out during the football season and the sacrifices that involves relative to your family as well. I think with that information, we want him back. He played at an extremely high level and when he got hurt, Teddy Bridgewater went in and he was outstanding. So Teddy's a free agent and fortunately we've got time before free agency."

Payton is now in the uncomfortable position of trying to keep three quarterbacks interested in remaining with the Saints while formulating a plan for his offense should he lose Brees and Bridgewater or all three. While Brees is the priority, Bridgewater would be a top candidate to take over for him should he retire. But Bridgewater has made it clear he wants to start next season. Can Payton convince him to hold off on a free-agency decision until Brees announces his intentions for 2020? Can New Orleans do the same with Hill? 

The head coach seems to have accepted the reality that it's just not possible. Where that leaves the Saints moving forward is entirely unclear.

 

Attorneys representing alleged sexual abuse victims say the New Orleans Saints helped local Catholic Church authorities decide who would be included on a list of "credibly accused" clergy members released in 2018.

"The Saints appear to have had a hand in determining which names should or should not have been included on the pedophile list," attorneys representing "around two dozen" men in a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of New Orleans wrote in a court filing, per Jim Mustian of The Associated Press on Thursday.

"In order to fulfill this role ... the Saints must have known the specific allegations of sexual abuse against a priest ... and made a judgment call about whether those allegations by a particular victim against a named priest were, in its opinion, legitimate enough to warrant being included on the pedophile list."

The Saints have maintained their involvement with the church was minimal and only related to public relations.

"Never did the Saints organization offer advice to conceal information," the Saints said in a statement. "In fact, we advised that as new information relative to credible evidence about other clergy came to light, then those names should be released and given to the proper authorities."

The New Orleans Archdiocese also denied the Saints' role went beyond PR help.

Saints owner Gayle Benson maintains a close friendship with the New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond. According to one alleged email exchange from 2018, Saints senior vice president of communications Greg Bensel was involved in a conversation about "removing priests from the pedophile list."

On Friday, Mustian reported the Saints and the archdiocese had filed to prevent emails between the two parties being released to the public.

The initial list of clergy members included 57 people credibly accused of sexual assault. The Associated Press report indicated that number was underestimated by at least 20 names.

The NFL has not commented on the Saints' potential involvement with the Catholic Church. 

New Orleans quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is set to be a free agent this offseason and told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Wednesday (h/t Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk) that he plans on making a prudent decision for his career:

"Last year everyone said I turned down X amount of dollars to go back to New Orleans. Honestly, for me, I'm a businessman but I'm a smart businessman. I don't make decisions with my heart, I use my brain to think things through. Last year I made the decision to return to New Orleans and it worked out for the better for me. This year, it's one of those deals where like I said it'll be the same thing. I don't try to make any decision of the impulse of my heart. I think things through and go from there."

Bridgewater started the season as the backup to Drew Brees, but when the future Hall of Famer was forced to have thumb surgery in September and missed time, Bridgewater stepped up in a major way. 

While Brees was out Bridgewater led the Saints to a 5-1 record, finishing the year with 1,384 yards, nine touchdowns and just two interceptions, completing 67.9 percent of his passes. Many teams would have potentially folded with their backup during that stretch, but Bridgewater played like a starter. 

And that is why he'll very likely be paid like one this offseason. 

Purely from a style fit, Teddy Bridgewater would be interesting for the Chargers. Would allow them to address OL in round one and not have to do a complete rebuild.

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) January 27, 2020

"The record of Teddy Bridgewater is 22-12 overall. He's a winner. Wasn't that what we said about Jimmy Garoppolo? Go get him." — @ColinCowherd pic.twitter.com/GE45whuBZo

— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) January 29, 2020

One thing that seems unlikely is that Bridgewater will be back in New Orleans. If Brees re-signs in New Orleans, he'll be the starter. And if he doesn't, the Saints will reportedly turn to Taysom Hill as the starter of the future, as Fox Sports' Jay Glazer said this week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNwD2B0o5ck

Bridgewater will find a new home. He was a former starter with the Minnesota Vikings before suffering a harrowing knee injury that cost him nearly two seasons. This year, he proved he's capable of leading a team yet again.

Just don't expect it to be in New Orleans.

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara is very interested in how his team will handle their quarterback situation with three players at the position being free agents this offseason.

Appearing on PFT Live (h/t Pro Football Talk's Charean Williams), Kamara thinks the Saints "have got to print some more money" to retain Drew Brees, Teddy Bridgewater and Taysom Hill. 

"Everybody wondering now what Drew is going to do, and I always say it he can play as long as he wants to and Teddy we saw what he did when he had to answer the call and then Taysom he is like the jack of all trades and he does it all," he said.

Those comments come in the wake of Kamara telling NFL Network's Ian Rapoport on the RapSheet and Friends podcast there "might be something going on" with his contract. 

Kamara will be playing on the final year of his rookie deal in 2020 and has a base salary of $977,500. Even though the three-time Pro Bowler has greatly outplayed that deal, he could be forced to wait for a new contract simply due to New Orleans' economic situation. 

Brees hasn't officially announced he's returning in 2020 but told NFL Network's Jane Slater he will only play for the Saints if he comes back. The 41-year-old signed a two-year, $50 million extension the last time he was a free agent in March 2018. 

Bridgewater figures to be a sought-after commodity from teams in need of a quarterback. He went 5-0 in 2019 when Brees was injured and threw for 1,384 yards with nine touchdowns. 

Hill, who is a restricted free agent, has been a jack-of-all-trades for the Saints since making his NFL debut in 2017. He has played primarily at quarterback, running back and wide receiver, but also lined up on defense and special teams as a kick returner. 

Spotrac estimates the Saints as having $12.75 million in cap space for 2020. 

New Orleans has been one of the most successful teams during the regular season over the past three seasons. The team owns a 37-11 record since 2017 with three straight NFC South titles, but they have failed to reach the Super Bowl during this stretch. 

Drew Brees may or may not be retiring from the NFL. The New Orleans Saints quarterback revealed to Amie Just of the Times-Picayune on Saturday that he will "give it a month or so" before deciding on his future.

Regardless of Brees' decision, according to Fox Sports' Jay Glazer, the Saints' future is in good hands.

"Brees, it's Saints or nobody," Glazer said Monday on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, "and [head coach] Sean Payton has already said, 'Yeah, if he wants back, he's back.' Like it's not a question in his mind. It's just, the question of what Drew wants to do. They do have their quarterback of the future on the roster too. That quarterback will be Taysom Hill." 

Watch Glazer's full commentary below (starts around the 3:35 mark): 

Brees is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, per Spotrac.

The 41-year-old explained his mindset to Just earlier in the week:

"I have never been in the situation where I was mulling over the thought of [returning]. "To me, each one of these contracts, I don't know how many it's been with the Saints, I've played with them 14 years, each one, it's not a matter of if it gets done, it's when. At this stage of my career, it's not a given that I'm coming back every year, but when that time comes, I'll always be a Saint."

Brees, who departed the then-San Diego Chargers for New Orleans in 2006 free agency and won Super Bowl XLIV with the Saints, missed five games during the 2019 campaign with a thumb injury on his throwing hand.

In his absence, Teddy Bridgewater served as the starting quarterback. The 2014 first-round pick went 5-0 and threw for 1,205 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions, completing 69.7 percent of his passes in those games. Bridgewater is also an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Hill, meanwhile, is a restricted free agent. The 29-year-old completed just three passes for 55 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions last season, but he has developed into an invaluable weapon as a rusher and receiver. 

Hill ran for 156 yards and one touchdown and caught 19 balls for 234 yards and six touchdowns across 16 regular-season games. The undrafted BYU product showed off his passing ability in the Saints' 26-20 wild-card overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings, though:

That's our [BACKUP] quarterback 😱

...and UNDRAFTED ALL-PRO Punt Returner ‼️ pic.twitter.com/SQ74F0IgWp

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) January 5, 2020

In fact, he was all over the field:

It's Taysom's world and we're all just livin' in it.

Drew and Hill hit paydirt 💰 #SAINTS pic.twitter.com/CVeBmJerxq

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) January 5, 2020

TAYSOM HILL WENT BEAST MODE 😤

(via @thecheckdown) pic.twitter.com/XDPUJhFeWh

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 5, 2020

Glazer is not the only one to report Hill as Brees' heir apparent:

Bridgewater likely played himself into a lucrative free-agent contract to start somewhere else. Hill has proved his value within the system of Payton and offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. while learning from one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. 

Hill spent five seasons at BYU from 2012-16. He threw for 6,929 yards, 43 touchdowns and 31 interceptions while completing 58.2 percent of his passes.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees hasn't made a decision about his future, but one is coming soon.

The 41-year-old explained Saturday he won't consider retirement or his next move until some time following the upcoming Pro Bowl.

"I'm really waiting until football is totally done," Brees said, per Amie Just of the Times-Picayune. "Obviously being here, I'm just very much focused on my family and this opportunity to be around the guys, playing the game. Then, I'll kind of lay low for a little bit, get away and then assess.

"I kind of have a process in mind. And I'll give it a month or so."

He is currently set to enter free agency with his latest contract expiring this offseason.

Even with his contract status, there is apparently no chance he plays for another team in 2020.

"At this stage of my career, it's not a given that I'm coming back every year, but when that time comes, I'll always be a Saint," Brees said.

Despite his age, the veteran continues to play at a high level. He earned his fourth straight Pro Bowl selection this season and the 13th of his career, leading the league in completion percentage (74.3) for the third year in a row. His 116.3 quarterback rating was second in the NFL behind only Ryan Tannehill.

Though he missed some time due to a thumb injury, the Saints were still one of the top teams in the NFL with a 13-3 record.

The problems have come in the playoffs with three straight disappointing exits.

The Saints still have the talent to win the Super Bowl—they have the fourth-best odds to win next year's championship, per B/R Betting—but Brees must decide if that's enough to return for at least another season.

A court-appointed special master will hear arguments from the New Orleans Saints to prevent the release of emails from team executives that reportedly show them offering public relations help to the city's Roman Catholic archdiocese as it dealt with multiple allegations of sexual abuse against its clergy members. 

Per Jim Mustian of the Associated Press on Friday, attorneys for the 12 plaintiffs in the lawsuit found through discovery that the Saints "aided the Archdiocese of New Orleans in its 'pattern and practice of concealing its crimes.'"

A full list of Saints executives involved wasn't listed, but the team's senior vice president of communications Greg Bensel was mentioned. "Multiple" team personnel were also said to have used their team-affiliated email addresses to advise church officials about their messaging and "how to soften the impact of the archdiocese’s release of a list of clergy members 'credibly accused' of sexual abuse."

The Saints responded to Mustian's report with a statement about their involvement:

"While there is current litigation relative to the New Orleans Archdiocese and clergy sex abuse, our comments are limited only to the scope of our involvement. The New Orleans Saints organization has always had a very strong relationship with the Archdiocese. The Archdiocese reached out to a number of community and civic minded leaders seeking counsel on handling the pending media attention that would come with the release of the clergy names in November of 2018. Greg Bensel, Senior Vice President of Communications for the New Orleans Saints, was contacted and offered input on how to work with the media. The advice was simple and never wavering. Be direct, open and fully transparent, while making sure that all law enforcement agencies were alerted. The New Orleans Saints, Greg Bensel and Mrs. Gayle Benson were and remain offended, disappointed and repulsed by the actions of certain past clergy. We remain steadfast in support of the victims who have suffered and pray for their continued healing."

The team also denied trying to conceal any information from the media or public, but "merely requested the court to apply the normal rules of civil discovery to the documents that the Saints produced and delivered to Mr. Doe's counsel."

If the documents and testimony are admitted into evidence for the case, the Saints said they "will become part of the public record of the trial of the case."

Mustian added Saints attorneys acknowledged in a court filing that the team assisted the archdiocese in publishing a list of credibly accused clergy members in an act of disclosure. 

In November 2018, Archbishop Gregory Aymond released a list of 57 clergy members who were credibly accused of sexually abusing minors across multiple decades. Living members of the Archdiocese of New Orleans accused were removed from the ministry. 

Saints owner Gayle Benson, through the Gayle and Tom Benson Charitable Foundation, has donated money to Catholic institutions in New Orleans. The foundation gave $3.5 million to Second Harvest Food Bank, an affiliated ministry of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, in March. 

Archbishop Gregory Aymond walked alongside Gayle at Tom Benson's funeral in March 2018. 

Following Tom's death, Gayle inherited the Saints from her husband. She also owns the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans. 

No official court date for the Saints' argument has been set, but Mustian noted the special master will likely hear arguments in the coming weeks. 

As he continues to ponder his future in the NFL, Drew Brees isn't dwelling on the New Orleans Saints' Wild Card Round loss to the Minnesota Vikings. 

"You've got no other choice but to move on and get better as a result of it," Brees said, per NFL Network's Jane Slater. "We learn something every time around, you know? And we're not gonna be discouraged."

"That day comes for all of us" #Saints QB Drew Brees on Eli Manning's retirement and his thoughts on his own future and getting over a 3rd postseason heartbreak pic.twitter.com/Q9vzJf0Fme

— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) January 23, 2020

The last three years have been rough for New Orleans in the playoffs.

The Saints were on the receiving end of the "Minneapolis Miracle" to cap off the 2017 season. Then they were the victims of an officiating blunder so bad it warranted a rule change. The 2019 campaign ended on a four-yard touchdown reception by Kyle Rudolph in overtime where the Minnesota Vikings tight end may have been guilty of pass interference.

.@KirkCousins8 to @KyleRudolph82 for the @Vikings walkoff win in OT. pic.twitter.com/aXSJllOqpB

— NFL (@NFL) January 5, 2020

Brees may feel he has unfinished business in the quest for a second Super Bowl title. The 41-year-old isn't going to rush into a decision when it comes to his next step, though.

"I wanted to give it at least a few weeks, months, postseason," he said Wednesday on NFL Live of his decision-making process. "Just to take a deep breath and decompress a little bit and get some time with the family and then just reassess."

The Saints did well to take care of long-term extensions for Michael Thomas and Cameron Jordan, but they have a lot of players heading to free agency this offseason. They're projected to only have $11.8 million in salary-cap space as well, per Over the Cap.

New Orleans' Super Bowl window may be closing independent of Brees' future, which makes those last three playoff exits all the more painful regardless of how much the team learned from them.