New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints receiver Michael Thomas is asking for an average annual value of $22 million on a contract extension, a lower figure than his initial asking price, according to Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune.

Duncan noted the Saints are sitting in the neighborhood of $18 million per season in negotiations.

Any contract north of $18 million per season would make Thomas the highest-paid receiver in football. Per Over The Cap, Odell Beckham Jr. of the Cleveland Browns currently owns the top AAV among wideouts ($18 million per season).

Beckham's five-year, $95 million extension—which he signed with the New York Giants in August 2018—also established a new bar for receivers in terms of fully guaranteed money ($41 million) and total guarantees ($65 million).

Since being drafted in the second round in 2016, Thomas has been among the most productive receivers in the league. The Ohio State alum has started his career with three consecutive seasons of 90-plus catches and 1,100-plus yards, finding the end zone 23 times.

No receiver has caught more passes than Thomas (321) through the first three years of a career.

His numbers have improved each year. He is coming off a season in which he hauled in an NFL-high 125 catches for 1,405 yards (sixth in the NFL) and nine touchdowns (tied for 10th).

As Pro Football Focus noted, the 6'3", 212-pound Thomas was one of the top pass-catchers in the slot last season:

According to Pro Football Focus' Austin Gayle, Thomas' contested catch percentage of 58.54 over the past three seasons ranks second in football. Meanwhile, his drop rate of 2.76 percent is the third-lowest among receivers with at least 200 targets since 2016.

Thomas' strong start to his career has not gone unnoticed. He has earned a pair of Pro Bowl nods (2017 and 2018) as well as a first-team All-Pro selection (2018). And he just turned 26 years old in March.

While the New Orleans Saints and receiver Michael Thomas hope to complete an extension to keep him on the roster for the long haul, Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune reported Wednesday that "nothing is imminent."

"The sides remain far apart, but both are motivated to get a deal done, hopefully by the start of training camp," Duncan said.

Thomas is heading into the final year of his rookie contract and has just a $1.6 million cap hit for 2019, per Spotrac.

The Saints apparently aren't too concerned about paying a hefty price to keep Thomas on the roster. Dianna Russini of ESPN reported Tuesday the "Saints are comfortable making him the highest-paid receiver in the game."

Thomas could surpass the five-year, $90 million contract Odell Beckham Jr. signed with the New York Giants in 2018 before being traded to the Cleveland Browns in March. He could also focus on guaranteed money like Antonio Brown, who will earn at least $30 million in guarantees in his new three-year contract, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

Based on his play, Thomas deserves to be paid among the best in the game at his position.

The 26-year-old was named a first-team All-Pro last season after finishing with 1,405 receiving yards, nine touchdowns and a league-best 125 catches. He was a major reason the Saints reached the NFC Championship Game, totaling 12 catches for 171 yards and a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round.

New Orleans won't want to let him hit free agency after he's shown what he can do in his first three years in the NFL.

Michael Thomas is working toward a new contract with the New Orleans Saints and it appears he's going to get a big deal.

According to Dianna Russini of ESPN, the "Saints are comfortable making him the highest paid receiver in the game."

Thomas led the NFL with 125 catches last season, adding 1,405 receiving yards and nine touchdowns while being named first-team All-Pro.

Over his first three years in the NFL, the 26-year-old averaged an impressive 80.6 receiving yards per game during the regular season. In the playoffs, he averaged 105.8 yards with three touchdowns in four games.

Despite his production, he's been relatively underpaid as a professional because he was only taken in the second round of the 2016 draft.

Thomas signed a $5.1 million deal out of college and will have a $1.6 million cap hit in 2019 for the final year of his rookie deal, per Spotrac.

His average annual salary ranks just 95th in the league despite him clearly being one of the best on the field.

The Saints seem ready to rectify the situation and could give the receiver a new deal to match or exceed Odell Beckham Jr., who signed a five-year, $90 million contract with the New York Giants before being traded to the Cleveland Browns.

Considering Thomas had 97 more catches than the next highest wide receiver on the Saints last season, his value to the team is clear. New Orleans is ready to do whatever it takes to keep him on the roster.

Rishard Matthews' minicamp tryout with the New Orleans Saints seems to have gone well after the two sides agreed to a deal. 

ESPN's Field Yates reported Matthews signed a contract to join the reigning NFC South champions.  

Matthews split time last season between the Tennessee Titans and New York Jets. He opened 2018 with the Titans, appearing in three games before requesting his release in September as a result of a lack of playing time. 

The Jets took a chance on Matthews by signing him in October. The 29-year-old played in five games after joining the team, though he failed to make much of an impact with two receptions for 13 yards. He was placed on injured reserve after suffering a hamstring injury during a Week 15 loss to the Houston Texans.

SB Nation's John Hendrix reported Matthews was at Saints camp for a tryout Tuesday. He's shown signs of promise throughout his career, including a career-high 945 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 2016. 

Matthews could make the 53-man roster by the end of the preseason. The Saints wide receiving corps thins out quickly after Michael Thomas, with Tre'Quan Smith and Ted Ginn Jr. as the second and third options on the outside for Drew Brees. 

Even if the Saints decide they don't have a spot for Matthews, an invite to camp affords him the opportunity to audition for other teams that may need receiver help heading into the regular season.

A staple of the New Orleans Saints defensive line for eight seasons, Cameron Jordan has reportedly received a lucrative new deal from the team. 

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Jordan agreed to a three-year, $52.5 million extension on Tuesday that includes over $42 million guaranteed and can max out at $55.5 million. 

Jordan was already under contract with the Saints for two more years, so his extension ties him to the club through 2023. 

Last month, Jordan told ESPN.com's Mike Triplett he wants to play in New Orleans for his entire career and wasn't necessarily concerned about breaking the bank. 

"All that can take care of itself. Honestly, I just want to be a Saints lifer. I want to go after this record by Rickey [Jackson]," said Jordan, whose 71.5 career sacks are 43.5 behind the Hall of Famer's franchise record of 115.

"I would love to say, 'Hey, I want a megadeal.' I don't really. [...] I just want to be secure in my job. Now to be sure, do I need to be updated? No doubt. But do I want to be like, 'Hey, I want to break Aaron Donald bank or go after Khalil Mack money even though I have better than Khalil Mack numbers in most categories?' No."

Per Spotrac, Jordan's $17.5 million average annual salary ranks fourth among defensive ends. Only Demarcus Lawrence of the Dallas Cowboys ($21 million), Frank Clark of the Kansas City Chiefs ($20.8 million) and Trey Flowers of the Detroit Lions ($18 million) will earn more per year. 

Since being drafted No. 24 overall by the Saints in 2011, Jordan has developed into one of the most consistent defensive players in the NFL. The 29-year-old has 71.5 sacks in eight seasons and has recorded at least 7.5 sacks in each of the past seven years. 

The New Orleans Saints signed free-agent running back Javorius Allen on Tuesday, the team announced.

Allen appeared in 14 games as a backup for the Baltimore Ravens in 2018, running for 110 yards and three touchdowns while catching 35 passes for 196 yards and two scores.

The emergence of Gus Edwards and the Ravens' usage of Lamar Jackson as a running threat combined to push Allen down in the pecking order. He was much better in 2017, when he served as the No. 2 option behind Alex Collins. He ran for 591 yards and averaged 3.9 yards per carry.

The Saints lost Mark Ingram II this offseason when he signed a three-year, $15.0 million deal with the Ravens. New Orleans responded by giving a four-year, $14.4 million contract to Latavius Murray, who joined Alvin Kamara in the backfield.

The Times-Picayune's Josh Katzenstein reported Thursday the team had worked out Allen, Fozzy Whittaker and Rob Kelley as it looked to bolster its options at running back.

Assuming he makes the team, Allen is unlikely to have a large role in the Saints offense barring an injury to Kamara or Murray. Should Kamara or Murray miss time, though, Allen would be a proven option New Orleans could elevate on the depth chart.

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara, New York Jets wideout Robby Anderson, Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Byard and Saints wideout Ted Ginn Jr. will be among 24 NFL players to participate in the first annual "40 Yards of Gold" tournament, per ESPN.com.

The competition will feature contestants battling in one-on-one 40-yard dashes in a knockout-style format. Twelve offensive players will compose one half of the bracket, while 12 defensive players will man the other side. The best representative from each group will face off in the final.  

The 40 Yards of Gold competition is an independently run tournament that has no affiliation with the NFL.

The seeding will be determined by fans through a voting process, which concludes Sunday. Voting can be done through the competition's official website.

Ginn figures to be a favorite in this contest: He reportedly ran a 4.28 at his Ohio State pro day in 2007, per Jason Owens of Yahoo Sports. Ginn is also confident enough to race anyone in a 40-yard dash for $10,000, as he told Bleacher Report's Adam Lefkoe:

Ginn is probably a little slower these days, but a person confident enough to bet anyone $10,000 in a 40-yard dash has to feel pretty good about their abilities.    

Look for Minnesota Vikings cornerback Trae Waynes to also excel. Per NFL reporter Dov Kleiman, he clocked an official 4.31 at his NFL combine:

The contest will take place June 29.

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Ted Ginn is fast. So fast that he's willing to bet $10,000 on himself in a sprint against all comers. 

High school track sensation Matthew Boling thinks he can take Ginn down. Boling tweeted out an acceptance of Ginn's $10,000 challenge Friday:

Ginn initially laid out the terms on Bleacher Report's The Lefkoe Show: 

Boling, who is committed to the University of Georgia, set the national and Texas state records for the 100-meter dash with a 10.13-second time earlier this month. He previously ran a 9.98-second time, though that was wind-aided.

Ginn was clocked at 4.28 seconds in the 40-yard dash coming into the NFL. There are 109.361 yards in 100 meters. If we assume Ginn carries the exact same rate of speed from his 40 (not a perfect assumption), he would run the 100 meters in approximately 11.7 seconds.

Boling could run that time backwards.

Of course, that's a little unfair to Ginn. The high school track star was timed at 21.16 seconds in the 200 meters and 46.57 seconds in the 400 meters in high school. Those times are behind Boling's paces, but those are strong enough times that Ginn could have at least made it a race...back in the peak of his athletic prime.  

Ginn is now 34 years old and 15 years removed from running those times. He's spent the bulk of that time getting hit consistently at the collegiate and professional football levels.

So, what we're saying is this would be the easiest $10,000 Boling would ever make. 

Zion Williamson appears set to join the New Orleans Pelicans as the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft after the Pels won the draft lottery Tuesday, but New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton has other ideas.

Payton took to Twitter on Wednesday and jokingly tweeted a photo of Williamson in a Saints uniform:

The 6'7", 285-pound Williamson is a remarkable athlete with elite leaping ability and put together a lengthy highlight reel of dunks during his only season at Duke.

BR Video

With his size and athleticism, Williamson could be an intriguing tight end prospect—a thought that once occurred to Texas State offensive line coach Eric Mateos.

In November, Mateos told ESPN.com's Jeff Borzello that when he was LSU's tight ends coach in 2016, he offered Williamson a scholarship. Mateos quipped, "I thought, hell, why not, he's probably the best damn tight end to ever live."

A switch from basketball to football isn't likely for Williamson. He was the consensus National College Player of the Year last season at Duke and is the presumptive No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft.

Missing out on Zion won't bother Payton too much, though, since the Saints beefed up their tight end position by signing Pro Bowler Jared Cook this offseason.

New Orleans Saints players, including Michael Thomas and Cameron Jordan, worked with Rebuilding Together New Orleans on Wednesday to build a ramp at the home of Jerry Hills, who'd previously struggled to move around outside his house after losing his left leg to a bacterial infection three years ago.

Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune reported the Saints' group working on the project, which was done in coordination with Dudley DeBosier Injury Lawyers, also featured 2018 first-round pick Marcus Davenport and defensive line colleagues David Onyemata and Taylor Stallworth. Also involved were fullback Zach Line, wide receiver Keith Kirkwood, linebacker Darnell Sankey and long snapper Zach Wood.

"Having this ramp is a great feeling," Hills said. "To see so many people that care about you, it's great. It's really great."

Here's video from the volunteer effort via NOLA.com:

"Just putting something up there like that for him will be really amazing, just to make things easier for him," Onyemata told Katzenstein.

Jordan added it was another chance for the Saints organization to show how much it cares about the local community.