New Orleans Saints

Jameis Winston's torn ACL may not scare off the New Orleans Saints from pursuing a reunion this offseason.

The Athletic's Jeff Howe reported New Orleans could look at the quarterback market in the weeks ahead but that the Saints "appear to be comfortable with the possibility" of bringing Winston back.

Howe's details follows a similar report by Jim Trotter of NFL Media. Trotter reported last Friday the Saints are "going to explore every option as it relates to [quarterback]" but that they're likely to negotiate a new contract with Winston:

https://twitter.com/JimTrotter_NFL/status/1497288496192671758

After succeeding Drew Brees as the team's starting quarterback, Winston was having one of his most efficient seasons ever. He threw for 1,170 yards, 14 touchdowns and three interceptions while setting a career high in passer rating (102.8) and posting his second-highest QBR (64.4), per Pro Football Reference.

While his interceptions were down significantly, the 28-year-old was well below his pace from 2019 in terms of yardage, when he led the NFL in passing yards (5,109).

Still, Winston had a solid first half in the Big Easy, especially considering New Orleans was without the services of Michael Thomas after his offseason ankle surgery took him out for all of 2021.

The ACL tear obviously raises a big question over his availability for the 2022 season. On Monday, his agent, Kevin Wilk, shared a video of him running on a treadmill:

Free-agent-to-be QB Jameis Winston is running today for the first time since undergoing surgery on the left ACL he tore Oct. 31 vs. the Buccaneers, 📹 by Kevin Wilk @ChampionSportsM pic.twitter.com/Lt3aH4hgRX

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 28, 2022

If Winston had shown he can be the franchise QB in 2021, there wouldn't be much doubt as to the Saints' plans. Re-signing him would have been the only option on the table.

As the organization charts its course in the post-Sean Payton era, leaning on Winston as the starter makes sense, though. 

The team is projected to be $49.9 million over the salary cap, so it could be a transitional year anyway. In Winston, the Saints would have a stopgap solution to buy the front office more time to develop a long-term strategy at quarterback.

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas appears ready to start anew even if he isn't going anywhere.

"A fresh start isn't a new place, it's a mindset," he tweeted Sunday in the aftermath of his contract restructuring.

ESPN's Field Yates reported the Saints converted $14.6 million of his deal and $18.2 million of offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk's deal into signing bonuses for 2022. The moves created $26.2 million in additional cap space.

Mike Triplett of ESPN suggested the move is also further proof the Saints will not trade Thomas since "they'd be on the hook for all of that money on the cap this year (plus previous signing bonus) if they traded him to another team."

The Ohio State product missed the 2021 season with injuries and appeared in just seven games in 2020. He was arguably the NFL's best wide receiver before the setbacks and led the league in receptions two years in a row in 2018 and 2019.

Thomas finished that 2019 campaign with 149 catches for 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns.

The three-time Pro Bowler will be under the spotlight in 2022 as he looks to return to that form.

The New Orleans Saints reportedly restructured the contracts of wide receiver Michael Thomas and offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk on Saturday.

According to ESPN's Field Yates, the Saints have converted $14.565 million of Thomas' compensation for 2022 and $18,206,608 of Ramczyk's compensation for 2022, thus saving $26.217 million against the salary cap.

Thomas missed the entire 2021 season because of an ankle injury, while Ramczyk missed seven games with a knee injury.

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The 2021 season was New Orleans' first without quarterback Drew Brees since 2005. In Brees' retirement, the Saints cycled through multiple quarterbacks, as Jameis Winston, Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian all started games.

Making matters even more difficult was the fact that the Saints were without one of their top offensive weapons in Thomas.

Even so, the Saints still managed to go 9-8 and narrowly missed the playoffs. Despite the scrappiness they displayed last season, there is some concern the Saints are about to enter a downturn.

It is unclear what New Orleans plans to do at quarterback in 2022 and beyond, plus longtime head coach Sean Payton has stepped away from coaching, resulting in defensive coordinator Dennis Allen getting elevated to head coach.

On top of that, the Saints have well-documented issues with the salary cap, which explains the decision to restructure the contracts of Thomas and Ramczyk.

Per Spotrac, the Saints are an estimated $80 million over the salary cap. That is down to the fact that four players have a cap hit of at least $23 million and 12 players have a cap hit of at least $10 million.

Restructuring Thomas and Ramczyk helps, but the Saints will likely have to make some tough decisions in terms of releasing or trading players as well.

Assuming Thomas and Ramczyk stick around for 2022, they will both be key contributors to the Saints' success.

Prior to the 2020 season when Thomas missed nine games because of injury, he had been selected to three consecutive Pro Bowls and was a two-time First-Team All-Pro. His best season came in 2019 when he racked up 149 receptions for 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns, and he was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

Meanwhile, Ramczyk missed only one game in his first four NFL seasons from 2017-20, and he was named a First-Team All-Pro in 2019.

The Saints have a chance to remain competitive in the NFC South next season if both Thomas and Ramczyk can remain healthy, but the fact remains that their roster will likely look very different in Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season from what it is now.

With the No. 1 NFL analyst job for Fox Sports reportedly opening up, former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton could move into the role for the 2022 season. 

Per Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, Fox and Payton have opened negotiations about having him replace Troy Aikman as Joe Buck's broadcast partner. 

Aikman, who has been with Fox Sports since 2001, is expected to sign a five-year deal to become the main analyst on Monday Night Football for ESPN, per Andrew Marchand of the New York Post.

According to McCarthy, Payton is expected to receive a deal worth $10 million annually, and he would be paired with Joe Buck for Fox's No. 1 game of the week. 

Per Logan Reardon of NBC Chicago, Payton's $9.8 million salary in 2021 with the New Orleans Saints made him the third-highest-paid head coach in the NFL. Only Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots ($12.5 million) and Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks ($11 million) made more. 

Payton signed a five-year extension with the Saints in 2019. His previous deal with the team was set to expire after the 2021 season.

The Saints hired Payton as their head coach in 2006. He went 152-89 in 15 seasons, leading them to nine playoff appearances, seven division titles and a victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV in the 2009 season. 

After missing the playoffs this season with a 9-8 record, Payton announced he was stepping away from the Saints. 

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Payton could return to coaching with another team after taking the 2022 season off. 

Aikman and Buck have been Fox's lead NFL broadcast team since 2002.    

Just as they promoted from within to replace Sean Payton, the New Orleans Saints are taking the same approach to fill the defensive coordinator vacancy that came open when Dennis Allen took over as head coach.

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg reported Wednesday Kris Richard and Ryan Nielsen will serve as New Orleans' co-defensive coordinators. Richard was the defensive backs coach, while Nielsen was an assistant head coach and defensive line coach.

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic reported Nielsen received a new two-year deal as part of his promotion.

It's unclear how Richard and Nielsen's duties will be split as co-defensive coordinators and whether they'll continue working with their respective position groups.

Speaking with reporters after being named Payton's successor, Allen gave the impression he would remain the defensive play-caller, per The Athletic's Katherine Terrell:

I think that's stuff we're going to determine over the next few days, but yet I was telling somebody before, it's hard to turn your baby over, you know what I mean? So I see myself still being heavily involved there and heavily involved in the game plan and even potentially the play calling

ESPN's Mike Triplett speculated Allen was wary of losing either Richard or Nielsen and "wanted to find a way to promote both of his highly-valued assistants to make sure and retain them on his staff."

Richard worked as the Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator for three seasons, so the new job won't be unfamiliar for the 43-year-old.

Nielsen was briefly a defensive coordinator at the college level and was named assistant head coach by the Saints in January 2021 as LSU was pursuing him for their defensive coordinator gig.

The Saints were third in defensive efficiency in 2021 at Football Outsiders, finishing seventh in yards (318.2) and fourth in points allowed (19.7).

New Orleans' success in 2022 will hinge largely on how the team addresses the quarterback position with Jameis Winston hitting free agency and Taysom Hill clearly not a long-term solution. Maintaining one of the NFL's better defenses will also go a long way toward the Saints getting back to the postseason after missing out last year.

The New Orleans Saints reportedly aren't planning to pursue a trade for Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers during the 2022 NFL offseason.

A source told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk on Thursday there's "no way the Saints will make a run" at the four-time Most Valuable Player.

Neither the Packers nor Rodgers have given a clear indication they've decided to go their separate ways before the start of next season despite the ample speculation, which stems from the quarterback staying away from the franchise for most of last offseason before returning for training camp.

After the team's campaign ended with a playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the 38-year-old California native said he didn't want to wait through a roster reconstruction at this stage of his career.

"I don't want to be a part of a rebuild if I'm going to keep playing," Rodgers told reporters in late January.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur responded to those comments by saying that's not the direction the team is planning to go.

"There's no plan for a rebuild," LaFleur said. "You get this close, obviously win a lot of football games, and we know in order for there not to be that, he's got to be a part of this thing. I don't think that's anybody's intention."

If Green Bay wants to convince Rodgers to stay for another year, the process probably begins with getting his favorite target, Davante Adams, under contract, either via an extension or the franchise tag.

Should the 10-time Pro Bowl selection ultimately seek a trade, the Saints had made sense on paper following a season where they posted a 9-8 record despite being hampered by subpar quarterback play after Jameis Winston suffered a torn ACL in October.

Spotrac projects New Orleans is $76.2 million over the salary cap ending the offseason, however, and the $46.7 million cap hit in Rodgers' contract would only further complicate the situation.

The Saints could probably make it work by releasing players and restructuring the deals of others, but whether that would leave a roster that's still at a title-contention level is far from certain.

Rodgers may find it difficult to land in a more promising situation than Green Bay if his main focus is winning another championship.

The Packers are coming off a year in which they posted a 13-4 record to sit atop the NFC standings, and the AFC is loaded with young quarterback talent, so switching conferences would lead to more playoff hurdles.

So, unless his relationship with the front office is irreversibly broken, staying put may once again be his best bet amid another spring likely filled with plenty of rumors about his future.

Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Chris Lammons is wanted in connection with the alleged assault involving New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara, according to 8 News Now's David Charns.

Lammons, who went undrafted out of South Carolina in 2018, has been with Kansas City since 2019.

Two additional suspects have already been arrested in connection with the alleged assault.

Per TMZ Sports, Darrin Young and Percy Harris turned themselves in to Clark County jail on Monday and were booked on a charge of battery resulting in substantial bodily harm.

Kamara was arrested by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police on Feb. 6 following his appearance in the Pro Bowl, after a man who was hospitalized reported an alleged attack at a nightclub.

The Saints star was booked on battery resulting in substantial bodily harm.

Please click on the document below for more information on the arrest of Alvin Kamara. This investigation is still ongoing, anyone with any information about this incident is urged to call 702-828-3204 or contact @CrimeStoppersNV pic.twitter.com/QoUY9tEQT1

— LVMPD (@LVMPD) February 7, 2022

The official report from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (h/t ESPN's Mike Triplett) said video surveillance footage showed Kamara "punching a man approximately eight times before Kamara's associates proceeded to stomp on him several more times on the ground" at a casino.

The report says Kamara admitted to punching the man but indicated he thought the man did something to his group and was trying to run away.

"The police report notes that the video shows that the man was not running away," Triplett wrote.

TMZ Sports reported on Feb. 8 that NFL officials knew Kamara was a suspect in the case before the Pro Bowl began, but they decided along with the authorities to let him play in the game.

Kamara's attorney, Drew Findling, issued a statement on his client's behalf after he was arrested:

Alvin Kamara has gained a well-deserved reputation for being a hard-working and community minded individual. The recent Las Vegas allegations are not consistent with who Mr. Kamara has shown himself to be in both his public and private life. Therefore, we are conducting our own investigation into all of the circumstances and individuals associated with this matter to determine both the facts and motivations of all involved.

The charges against Kamara, Young and Harris carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison if they are convicted.

Kamara is also subject to potential discipline by the NFL under the personal conduct policy. The 26-year-old has spent his entire five-year career with the Saints. He was a third-round draft pick out of Tennessee in 2017.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Denver Broncos, Washington Commanders, New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers are expected to be among the teams to explore a trade for veteran quarterbacks this offseason.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported all three teams are expected to monitor the market for Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson and Aaron Rodgers, among other possible names that could be available.

The reported list of teams is of no surprise; all five have significant holes at the quarterback spot.

The Broncos, in particular, could be a starting quarterback away from being a Super Bowl contender with Teddy Bridgewater's contract up. Denver has a burgeoning young core of skill-position players, a solid offensive line and a stellar defense; the only negative is that the Broncos play in the AFC West, which already houses Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert.

Rodgers has an obvious link to Denver after the team hired former Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as its next head coach. Hackett has brought along several assistant coaches as well, making it a good talent and familiarity fit if Rodgers chooses to leave Green Bay.

The Panthers have been in search of a franchise quarterback since Matt Rhule's arrival and may be the team most desperate to add a difference-maker. Rhule enters 2022 firmly on the hot seat, likely facing dismissal without a major turnaround. Sam Darnold, who is on the books for $18.9 million next season, isn't the answer. 

The Bucs are leaving the door open for a potential Tom Brady return but are realistic about the fact that the 44-year-old has probably played his last game. Tampa has several veterans hitting the open market this offseason and spent a second-round pick on Kyle Trask last April, so quarterback might wind up being less of a priority than talent retention.

Financial constraints are likely to hinder any Saints pursuit of a veteran quarterback. New Orleans is an NFL-high $80.4 million over the cap and will have to make several seismic changes to the roster to simply get under the cap. It's unlikely any of the aforementioned names will want to join what's likely to be a depleted roster in 2022. Taysom Hill is the top quarterback currently under contract for next season, and Jameis Winston could be brought back on a short-term deal as he returns from an ACL tear. 

Washington also stands out as an unlikely fit for any of the top quarterbacks. The newly christened Commanders have a few solid players on both sides of the ball and a good coach in Ron Rivera but don't have the makings of a Super Bowl contender. Taylor Heinicke started 15 games for Washington in 2021 and is under contract for next season. 

Watson is the only name on the list of veteran quarterbacks whose situation would be improved by going to Washington. It would also be a public-relations nightmare for the Commanders to acquire Watson, who is being sued by 22 women for sexual assault and sexual misconduct, while at the same time their team owner is facing allegations of sexual harassment. It seems unlikely Wilson or Rodgers would be open to playing for Washington given the circumstances surrounding the organization.

As he and the rest of the football world gear up to watch Super Bowl LVI on Sunday, New Orleans Saints star Cameron Jordan conducted an AMA session with Bleacher Report on Friday.

Jordan is coming off another productive season, one that earned him a seventh Pro Bowl nod. The veteran pass-rusher finished with 59 tackles, 12.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss.

In addition to discussing Sunday's matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams, he tackled questions about former head coach Sean Payton, new head coach Dennis Allen and his experiences over 11 years with the Saints.

The following is the transcript from the AMA session.

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SPONSORED QUESTION: Cam, I understand you're here on behalf of NFL All Day, which is the league's NFT platform. Tell me more about what you're doing with them and really the aim of all this. Pretty cool to be able to own league history. Do you remember what your reaction was like when you first discovered NFTs and what they were concept-wise? Was it instant buy-in from you?

This NFT space is relatively new to a lot of people, but it has been around. I got into the crypto craze back in 2016-17. I don’t know if it's a craze. I think it's intriguing because it's not normal stuff. The metaverse opens up so many possibilities. NFTs create these moments where people form entire communities around them. It's like owning Pokemon when I was little. There are so many moments that you could have that will bring you that nostalgia.

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@Just_in_Time If you could own any NFL moment in history as an NFT, what would it be and why?

If I could own a moment, it would be a Steve Jordan Vikings NFC Championship Game. I don't remember because I was like three, but that was awesome. It would be cool to own something I loved when I was a kid. 

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@CJShoe What did you most enjoy about growing up with a dad in the NFL? And did any his teammates of his influence your own journey? 

Absolutely. Chris Doleman, John Randle, they had some great DL. I had a dad on offense, but I would rather hit people. I look at OL and I'm like why would you enjoy getting hit all the time. That's the thing about sacks—I deserve these moments. 

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@FitchKarma66 You've worked with Dennis Allen for a while now. Can you touch upon your relationship with him and how you feel seeing him step up to take the reins as the team's new HC?

He has been with the Saints for six years now. I think Malcolm Jenkins has seen him for both the first and second stint. The way that he has been able to come in, earn our trust, earn our respect. When you have that type of trust in a DC or a HC, you learn to trust him in the blind moments. He has been in house, we have that trust and now he's our HC. We know that everything he is going to do is what we've already been doing. It's our brand of football. It's our way of football. It is still going to be Saints football. Then if not, I'll have to go up top and fight about it.

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@Rivet042831 Did you ever think you would have an opportunity to break the Saints sack record or is that something you don't think about much and just comes with your game? 

As I was growing up, I played football at a young age. I knew early on what I wanted to do. I knew exactly what I wanted to be and I wanted to hit my dad so I became a DE. The moment I was drafted to the Saints, whatever the best is I want to be better than the best. That's the mentality I’ve always taken to the football field. If I think I'm the best person on the team, it motivates everyone. If we're all the best at our respective positions, then you're going to be a legendary defense. 

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@DamnItally71 Who's your favorite opponent to sack? 

All-time would be Cam Newton—same draft class, the legendary 2011 draft class. Also, he plays for the Panthers and was SuperMan at the time. He was also my first sack of my career. Then, there was Michael Vick. I got to sack him three times in one game in my second year vs. the Eagles. Currently, Matt Ryan. Some would say the greatest connection between a DE and QB. 23 sacks, 22 games played. No other QB and DE has connections quite like us. I think Matt Ryan enjoys our hugs as much as I do.

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@NILA79 How did you come up with your sack celebration?

Good old levels, we stack them. My rookie year I went 15 games without a sack and the 16th game I had one. Since then, we've been stacking the sacks.

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@Bressus What is it about the Saints team culture you don't think other teams have?

I haven't been on any other team, but guys say this organization is so different. Guys feel like they can talk and approach any subject. You have this open locker room feel. These are my brothers that I've gone to war with. Why can't we talk about anything off the field when we've put so much work onto it? Having that open line of communication is critical.

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@Rhettro The OL that has given you the most trouble over your career, if anyone, is who? 

Any OL headed by a great QB is probably a problem. In this day and age, you're more worried about the QB you're going against than the OL you're going against. We're more worried about where Lamar Jackson or Russell Wilson is gonna be than whatever big guy is front of me. You can't teach size, but I'm more worried about who the QB is.

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@MichaelGScott You play with some pretty intense energy. Have you ever considered the WWE as a post-football career? 

No, not at all. I looked up to Stone Cold Steve Austin, Booker T, Rey Mysterio, Bam Bam Bigelow, Dwayne The Rock Johnson, but I'm not into these new guys.

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@Not_RudyGobert What's the biggest unknown or overlooked impact Sean Payton had on the Saints? 

With Sean, our organization has had so many division and conference titles. They won the only SB the Saints have ever made. You can't overlook him. That's probably why they left hand and hand. One year after another. We're in a new wave. A healthy Michael Thomas will take the world by storm because he was the league's top WR when things stopped for him.

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@TrueFacts You had a conversation with Channing Frye on our Full-Bodied series about Tom Brady not being the goat? Do you still stand by that take? 

I talked about not being my GOAT. Drew Brees is going to be my GOAT forever. We're talking about an underdog who overcame any and all expectations, messed up his shoulder and still exceeded all expectations that were already pretty high from the Chargers. He comes over, wins a SB. Name one other QB who has more 5K-yard seasons than him. It took Tom Brady two years to beat Drew's all-time TDs and receptions. If you put his career next to anyone else, he blows them out of the water in terms of stats. He's my goat. It might be biased, but the facts can back it up. He's a GOAT for sure.

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@Not_RudyGobert Super Bowl prediction?

My Sunday prediction is with NFL All Day we'll have more moments people are going to want then we've had all season long.

I think there are going to be a lot more points than we thought and it's going to be a decisive win.

Drew Findling, the attorney representing Alvin Kamara in his criminal assault case, says he is launching an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the New Orleans Saints running back's arrest in Las Vegas.

"Alvin Kamara has gained a well-deserved reputation for being a hard-working and community-minded individual," Findling said in a statement. "The recent Las Vegas allegations are not consistent with who Mr. Kamara has shown himself to be in both his public and private life. Therefore, we are conducting our own investigation into all of the circumstances and individuals associated with this matter to determine both the facts and motivations of all involved."

Kamara, 26, was arrested Sunday after allegedly being part of a group  of four men who assaulted a man at a Las Vegas nightclub the night before. He was charged with battery resulting in substantial bodily harm.

Las Vegas police said there is surveillance footage of the incident that backs up the victim's version of events. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league plans to launch its own investigation.

"Our security team was contacted by the police in Las Vegas just prior to the game, saying they would like to meet with Alvin after the game," Goodell said. "Our team made sure that happened. Our security team did what they were asked to do and accommodated that."

Kamara faces up to five years in prison if convicted. Even if he pleads to a lesser charge or the case is ultimately dropped, he will be subject to potential penalties under the NFL's personal conduct policy.