The top 10 moments from what has been a wild off-season for the Saints
The middle of June usually marks the end of the New Orleans Saints off-season program. Coach Sean Payton typically addresses his team, colorfully paints the big picture, delivers their marching orders, then sends them on their way to five weeks of R&R.
That’s in a normal world.
Normal skipped town three months ago.
There’s a strange, new normal these days as a result of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic and it changes constantly. The NFL goal posts sway on a daily basis, this way, that way, every which way, making it difficult to focus.
And yet even in this new reality -- one in which there may or may not be a season and fans may or may not be able to attend games -- the Saints’ offseason has been hugely compelling, producing more than enough highlight moments to fill a reporter’s notebook.
Here are my Top 10 picks:
10. 2020 Vision: The Saints open the season at home against Tampa Bay and their prized new free agents, Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. The 2020 schedule also features five prime-time games, including a Christmas Day matchup against the Minnesota Vikings at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
9. Checkmate!: The Saints appeared to be out of the draft, using their allotted picks in the first two days. But they surprisingly traded back into the seventh round on Day 3, sending a sixth-round pick in 2021 to Houston in order to draft Mississippi State QB/athlete Tommy Stevens at No. 240. The 11th-hour trade trumped a gentlemen’s rookie free agent agreement between Carolina and Stevens, much to Payton’s delight.
8. He’s Back!: After weeks of internal debate, and after much hubbub, 41-year-old quarterback Drew Brees signed on for his 20th NFL season. He agreed to a two-year, $50 million deal that features a $23 million signing bonus. Brees reportedly will join NBC Sports after his career, first as an analyst on Notre Dame telecasts and eventually in a similar role on Sunday Night Football.
7. Rarefied Heir: Highly-coveted QB/athlete Taysom Hill, a.k.a Swiss army knife, is now operating under a two-year, $21 million contract. It includes a base salary of $841,000 this season and jumps to $10.72 million in ‘21 when he likely will supplant Brees under center. The Saints essentially scared off any potential suitors by tagging Hill with the highest one-year tender as an exclusive free agent.
6. Down, Not Out: In mid-March, Payton announced he had gone into self-quarantine after experiencing fatigue, becoming the first person associated with the NFL known to have contracted the novel coronavirus. Payton said he went public to warn people to heed the warnings of government and medical officials.
5. Stay home: Amid growing concerns with COVID-19, Saints officials became the first NFL team to cancel their off-season program. Officials informed players they would not be required to report to the team’s complex until training camp and encouraged them take care of themselves, their families and report in the best shape of their lives.
4. Changing of the guard: The Saints selected Michigan center/guard Cesar Ruiz with the 24th overall pick. At the time it seemed somewhat surprising but it came into focus two weeks later when they cut perennial Pro Bowl guard Larry Warford, saving them $7 million in cap space and paving the way for Ruiz to earn a starting job at right guard. Earlier in free agency, starting left guard Andrus Peat signed a five-year, $57.5 million contract, including a $13 million signing bonus.
3. All In: Saints officials further bolstered their roster, signing veteran free agents WR Emmanuel Sanders and S Malcolm Jenkins. Sanders is expected to fill a pressing need as a viable downfield complement to WR Michael Thomas. Jenkins returns to New Orleans where he helped the Saints win Super Bowl XLIV as a first-round draft pick in 2009.
2. Buc Stops Here: In need of a veteran backup quarterback after the departure of Teddy Bridgewater to Carolina, the Saints signed longtime-Tampa Bay starting quarterback Jameis Winston to a low-risk one-year deal worth $1.1 million. Winston, 26, became expendable when the Buccaneers signed Brady.
1. Stand down: Brees caused quite a stir after saying he would never agree with anyone disrespecting the flag of the United States of America, alluding to those NFL players (most notably Colin Kaepernick) who have knelt in protest during the playing of the national anthem. Brees’ controversial remarks, amid the civil unrest following George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police on May 25, triggered a firestorm of criticism from teammates and sports personalities alike and sparked endless debate on cable talk/radio shows and social media. The discourse has continued well after he and his wife, Brittany, made several attempts to clarify themselves and apologize for comments that many view as insensitive toward people of color in their fight against systemic police brutality and racial inequality.
This story was originally published June 12, 2020 at 12:05 PM.