Category: Mickey Loomis

Mickey Loomis: Saints were inclined to be buyers, not sellers at NFL trade deadline

No deals came to fruition, but Mickey Loomis says the Saints were inclined to be buyers, not sellers at Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline:

This lines up with what we’re hearing from national outlets: New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said Tuesday evening that he and the team were inclined to be buyers, not sellers, at the NFL trade deadline. Loomis commented on the situation during a regular appearance on WWL Radio with Mike Hoss, which you can listen to here.

“We talked to a couple of teams about a couple of things, more in the acquisition area as opposed to trading somebody,” Loomis told Hoss. “We didn’t really talk about trading anyone from our team. We did talk to a couple teams about an acquisition, but I wouldn’t say it ever got really serious.”

One player the Saints reportedly looked to acquire was Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, a favorite target of Derek Carr from his past experience with the team. But trade talks were scuttled in the hours leading up to the deadline, either through the teams struggling to work out the financial aspect or the Raiders firing anyone with authority to take Loomis’s phone call, including general manager Dave Ziegler.

Loomis added that these negotiations are often complicated by both team’s salary cap situations as well as the free agency outlook in the next offseason, not to mention their forecasts through the rest of the current season. It isn’t as simple as calling another team and offering a pick for a player before confirming a deal with the league office in New York.

And it’s easy to see why the Saints were looking to add more talent, not shed it. They’ve clawed their way back to a 4-4 record with several very winnable games in front of them; it will be a big disappointment if they don’t go into the bye week with a 6-4 record later in November. They’re coming off maybe their most impressive win of the season and they have few contracts that could be traded away for salary cap relief.

The talent on the roster isn’t the problem. It’s been the self-inflicted wounds holding them back: poor execution, mental errors, and too many sloppy penalties. If they don’t get to the playoffs this year, it’ll because of poor coaching and lacking effort on Sundays, not any lacking physical tools or pro experience.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Too many Mickey Loomis gambles have come back to burn the Saints

Too many Mickey Loomis gambles have come back to burn the Saints. The Saints GM has wasted a lot of valuable draft picks on players who haven’t helped the team:

There aren’t many general managers around the NFL with job security like Mickey Loomis, and it’s easy to see why. The franchise’s valuation has skyrocketed under his watch. Hired to the post way back in 2003, he helped raise the New Orleans Saints’ valuation from the $70 million that Tom Benson paid to buy the team in 1985 (which would be about $92 million today, due to inflation) to the $4 billion figure boasted around today. Loomis will be on staff as long as he wants to be, and he’s currently the longest-tenured general manager in the league.

But too many of his recent gambles have come back to burn the team. Not just the bad decision to promote Dennis Allen to head coach over better-qualified candidates like Doug Pederson, this week’s opponent with the Jacksonville Jaguars — but in the draft, too. There isn’t a more important even for acquiring young talent and sustaining long-term success than the annual NFL draft, and Loomis has played too fast and loose with the team’s draft picks.

Here’s what it’s cost them to add first-round players who aren’t helping the team like left tackle Trevor Penning (benched), defensive end Payton Turner (on injured reserve for the second time in three years), and defensive end Marcus Davenport (who left the team in free agency after an injury-plagued five-year career):

Saints GM Mickey Loomis impressed after Derek Carr’s first start

Saints GM Mickey Loomis impressed after Derek Carr’s first start, saying the QB ‘made some plays that we haven’t seen made here for a while’

There weren’t many national analysts who were blown away by Derek Carr’s first start with the New Orleans Saints, but general manager Mickey Loomis was pleased by what he saw on Sunday.

Loomis spoke about Carr’s performance on the Saints Coaches Show with WWL Radio this week, where he made time to push back on the narrative that Carr just managed the game. He sees Carr as an asset who elevates the offense more than the quarterbacks who preceded him.

He explained his reasoning: “I mean, he made some plays that we haven’t seen made here for a while. Off-platform throws, plays breaking down, him solving problems. He did a lot of really good things.”

We’ve talked before about Carr’s effectiveness in this game, even if the Saints didn’t score a ton of touchdowns. He posted the highest net passing yards total (accounting for yards lost to sacks) in a win since Drew Brees was running the offense. He’s someone the coaching staff trusts more than Andy Dalton, Jameis Winston, Trevor Siemian, and the other fill-ins to take the field post Brees.

Obviously a 16-15 score isn’t going to wow many people. But the Saints have a good foundation to build off of here. If Carr can continue to efficiently get the ball to his receivers and navigate pressure, they’ll make real strides once the offensive line and running game get up to speed. Having one of the league’s best defenses to lean on certainly helps.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Mickey Loomis issues statement on the passing of Hall of Fame exec Gil Brandt

Mickey Loomis issued statement on the passing of Hall of Fame executive Gil Brandt, acknowledging his influence on the sport and his own career:

The NFL is mourning the loss of one of its own this week, upon news of Gil Brandt’s death in Dallas. Brandt, 91, was an innovator in pro football who spent decades working in personnel departments around the league — rising to prominence as an architect of the Dallas Cowboys, where he ran the scouting department from 1960 to 1988. He was selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.

New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis issued a statement remembering Brandt’s influence on the sport and his own career:

“I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Gil Brandt. He was a legend, icon and pioneer of our industry. I first met Gil in 1984, at a combine that the Cowboys, Bills, Seahawks and 49ers conducted. Gil was the architect of that combine and his influence can still be seen, not only in the current combine, but also in the way that teams evaluate college prospects today. He was keen on not just understanding the metrics of players, but also the intangible qualities that would lead to their success. He had an uncanny ability to recall the smallest details about a person. He helped so many people get started in their careers in the NFL and then continued to guide and mentor them. I am grateful to be included in that group. He was a great friend, a true Hall of Famer and he will be sorely missed.”

Brandt has been credited with developing a scouting and evaluation process which became standard around the league, and he was also influential in the annual NFL Scouting Combine as a hub for pre-draft workouts and interviews. His fingerprints are still seen all around the pro football world. He’ll be missed by many who knew him, including Loomis.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Mickey Loomis reflects on his toughest New Orleans Saints roster cuts

Mickey Loomis reflected on his toughest Saints roster cuts, saying there isn’t one specific player that was the hardest to part with so much as a recurring archetype:

The annual NFL roster cuts deadline is coming up on Tuesday, and it’s an unpleasant process for all involved; not just the players losing their jobs, but team personnel like New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis, who has to be the bearer of bad news to dozens of young men.

Loomis recently appeared on Chris Long’s Green Light Podcast and fielded a number of questions, but the most difficult to answer concerned these roster cuts. Long asked Loomis which release had been the toughest in his Saints tenure, to which the league’s most-experienced GM responded carefully. From his point of view, there isn’t one specific player that was the hardest to part with so much as an archetype he’s run into more often than he’d like.

“Yeah, oof, boy. Good question,” Loomis exhaled, gathering his thoughts. “There’s a lot of them. And the toughest cuts are always the veteran player who’s been with you if not his whole career, a long time. You just — it’s tough emotionally to let someone go who’s contributed so much to your team, your community, the building.

“These guys, they’re great people. I think NFL players, they’re high achievers, they’re intelligent, they’re just great people with very few exceptions. And so they become part of your family. They’re appreciated by the secretaries, by every person in your building. So when you finally have to say, hey, you’re probably not good enough anymore, it’s time to go? That, that’s hard. That’s really hard.”

Loomis pointed out that these splits sometimes lead to discontent in the fanbase — as was the case with Jimmy Graham, who the Saints traded away years ago. He says he’s heard about it from fans everywhere, including his daughter, who continued to support Graham and wore his Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, and Chicago Bears jerseys as his NFL career continued away from New Orleans.

So while getting Graham back in black and gold was something that’s sparked a lot of positivity inside and outside the team facility, Loomis acknowledged how rare these reunions can be: “But those kinds of things are tough. Whether it’s a trade or letting someone go, it’s like losing a piece of your family sometimes.”

Moving on from franchise fixtures like Graham is something Loomis knows all too well. He’s had to break the bad news to fan-favorites like former Saints punter Thomas Morstead (190 games played for New Orleans), All-Pro guard Jahri Evans (169 games), franchise receiving leader Marques Colston (146 games), and a host of Super Bowl heroes like the late Will Smith, Jonathan Vilma, Roman Harper, Jabari Greer, Pierre Thomas, and Lance Moore, among many others.

It’s not an appealing part of the job. And it’s something Loomis and his staff — including recently-promoted assistant general manager Khai Harley will have to fulfill again in the days ahead. For all the personal connections and familial ties that football creates, it’s a stark reminder that, at the end of the day, it’s still a business.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Mickey Loomis isn’t eager to cut many more deals with Eagles GM Howie Roseman

Saints GM Mickey Loomis isn’t eager to cut more deals with his Eagles counterpart Howie Roseman, having gotten burned in a couple of big recent trades:

There isn’t a longer-tenured general manager in the NFL than Mickey Loomis — and the New Orleans Saints’ top decision-maker has learned that some deals may not be worth making when certain executives around the league call him up. He shouldn’t answer a phone call from the 215 area code ever again in case Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is on the line. He admitted as much during an interview with former Eagles defensive end Chris Long on the Green Light Podcast.

Loomis singled Roseman out as one rival executive whose interest now gives him pause — if this guy is calling about trading for a player or swapping draft picks, where’s the catch? What does Roseman know that Loomis doesn’t? Is he about to get fleeced?

“Well I think Howie Roseman is one of those guys, he’s very smart,” Loomis laughed, smiling thinly. “Look, Howie and I have done some deals in the past. He’s really a bright guy. He’s done a great job in Philly. But he’s also one of those guys where I have to keep both hands in my back pockets when I’m talking to Howie. And I mean that in the most complimentary way.”

Roseman has gotten the better of Loomis and the Saints a little too often in recent years. He acquired C.J. Gardner-Johnson after contract talks collapsed in New Orleans for a couple of late-round draft picks (one of which he’ll get back as a compensatory pick after failing to agree to a long-term extension with Gardner-Johnson, who signed with the Detroit Lions in free agency). That’s after Roseman talked Loomis into trading multiple early-round picks in subsequent draft classes for a 2022 first-rounder that became Trevor Penning, who missed most of his rookie year with injuries. And that pick became a top-10 selection in 2023. Loomis is known for aggressively trading up in the draft, sometimes to his detriment, and it’s something Roseman has taken advantage of.

Long asked how Roseman compares to one of his other former bosses: New England Patriots head coach and de facto GM Bill Belichick, who Loomis has also dealt with often over the years.

Loomis reflected, “It’s all business (with Belichick). But Bill’s really straightforward and I appreciate that about him. He’s really straightforward about what he wants, and what he’ll do, and if it works great, if it doesn’t, he’s fine with that. So I like doing business with those guys.”

All told it’s a very candid and informative interview from Loomis. Long does a great job asking engaging questions and touching on Loomis’s NFL career before he came to New Orleans, when his father Howie Long was bullying the Seattle Seahawks that gave Loomis his first job in pro football. Give it a listen.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Saints not finished tweaking roster, but Mickey Loomis says he’s not losing sleep over it

The Saints are not finished tweaking their roster, but Mickey Loomis says he’s not losing sleep over it. Where are they looking for more upgrades?

The New Orleans Saints opened training cap by signing several veteran players to reinforce the depth chart, including a pair of veteran offensive guards in Trai Turner and Max Garcia (as well as a reunion with their former Pro Bowl tight end Jimmy Graham). Those were all moves that general manager Mickey Loomis characterized as guys with proven performance who can compete for roster spots during his first press conference.

But they aren’t finished just yet. The Saints also brought in a half-dozen defensive linemen for a group tryout before camp, and Loomis acknowledged that there are other roster spots they would like to add another proven player or two. But are there any areas of need on his mind?

“Nothing glaring,” Loomis said, choosing his words carefully. “There’s probably a couple of spots, I don’t want to identify them. There’s a couple where I wouldn’t mind having another player that has played in the NFL. But nothing glaring that I’m losing sleep over.”

So which positions could Loomis be alluding to? Let’s look at the depth chart and areas where there are more younger, inexperienced players than established veterans.

Linebacker jumps off the page. Demario Davis is the only player in the group with more than 30 career starts; Pete Werner has only played 27 games through two years (out of 34 potential starts) while Zack Baun (8 starts in 45 games), Andrew Dowell (no starts in 34 games), Ty Summers (1 start in 52 games), and Ryan Connelly (1 start in 31 games) are all better known for their efforts on special teams than quantity of reps on defense. That’s also the case for second-year pro Nephi Sewell, while rookies Anfernee Orji and Nick Anderson are relative unknowns, as is D’Marco Jackson as he returns from a season-ending injury.

There are other cases to be made, like at defensive end where Cameron Jordan is the sole established presence, ahead of Tanoh Kpassagnon (34 starts in 84 games) and Carl Granderson (7 starts in 54 games). Defensive tackle could also use another piece — Nathan Shepherd and Khalen Saunders are a solid pair of veterans, but they’ve started a combined 17 of their 111 career regular season games. The Saints are putting a lot of pressure on young draft picks like Bryan Bresee, Isaiah Foskey, and Payton Turner to fill out the depth chart along the defensive line, which leads to uncertainty.

It would be nice to have someone else with a strong NFL resume in either group, but as Loomis said, it’s not worth losing sleep over with so many young, developing players in the pipeline. Don’t be shocked if more moves are on the way, but maybe don’t look out for anything earth-shaking, either.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Mickey Loomis sees a ‘difference in maturity’ in Jimmy Graham

Mickey Loomis and Dennis Allen say they see a ‘difference in maturity’ in Jimmy Graham after a decade away from the Saints:

New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis fielded questions from local media during his opening press conference at the start of training camp, and naturally many inquiries focused on the return of tight end Jimmy Graham. Loomis said that Graham returned to the team as a more mature player after a decade away from New Orleans.

“Jimmy was a popular player, he should have been a popular player, he was spectacular for us. He represented himself and the organization (well), he’s done that every place he’s been,” Loomis began, chuckling that his daughter had never forgiven him for trading her favorite player.

Loomis continued, “It’s interesting, I can see the difference in maturity that, from now as opposed to when he was with us, and we traded him, and his experiences. He’s a really highly intelligent player. Understands himself and the team dynamic. There’s a lot of things about it that are appealing, he’ll be a nice addition to our team and in the locker room especially.”

That’s a sentiment head coach Dennis Allen agreed with, saying after Graham’s first practice on Wednesday: “It was great to see him back out here. The great thing about Jimmy is I think he’s grown and matured from his time here. He’s got a very workmanlike attitude. Like he told me, ‘Look I just want to come here and contribute any way I can.’ He’s coming into this thing with the right attitude.”

Speculation swirled for years in the wake of the trade that the Saints sent Graham to Seattle after he became a problem, or a locker room cancer, but that’s a narrative Loomis made sure to squash: “He was never a problem in our locker room, not at all. He was well-liked by both our staff and our players. I wouldn’t say that at all. It was just a decision we made at the time, what we were putting in the position that we valued, just a lot of variables involved.”

How the workload ultimately splits is, for now, uncertain. Juwan Johnson remains at the top of the depth chart as an ascending receiving threat. Foster Moreau was signed to upgrade Adam Trautman’s spot as the primary inline blocking tight end, but he’s an accomplished receiver, too. Graham is probably best suited for a smaller package of plays in obvious passing situations, capping off drive in the red zone, but his willingness to block and handle different assignments could help the offense become less predictable when he’s in the lineup. And of course Taysom Hill is in the mix as well.

This much is clear: Graham returns to the Saints not necessarily humbled, but with the benefits of experience and a greater sense of maturity. He knows his role, what’s expected of him, and how he can help a team that’s important to him. Now let’s see him go out and execute the plan in place for him.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Saints GM Mickey Loomis is prioritizing an extension with Cameron Jordan

Mickey Loomis is prioritizing an extension with Cameron Jordan: ‘When he talks about retirement, I think he’s thinking it’s years down the road, and so am I’

[anyclip pubname=”2103″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8036″]

Mickey Loomis doesn’t often put his cards on the table, but he’s doing just that in talking about Cameron Jordan’s future with the team. The New Orleans Saints general manager raved about his team’s Pro Bowl defensive end during an appearance on Sirius XM NFL Radio this week with hosts Solomon Wilcots and Bill Polian.

“He’s going to be able to play for us as long as he wants to and as long as he can,” Loomis said bluntly. “Then when the time comes, his name will be up in that Ring of Honor and the Hall of Fame and all those other accolades that come with a player of his stature.”

Jordan is on track to be a free agent for the first time in his career next offseason, and he’s currently carrying the highest salary cap hit on the team with a $15.1 million charge for the 2023 season. That can’t really be restructured or spread out again, with the Saints having done so repeatedly in recent years, so it makes sense for both sides to reach a compromise on another extension.

He’s also one of the most decorated players in team history. Jordan has bagged seven or more sacks in 11 consecutive seasons from 2012 to 2022, the longest streak in the NFL, which helped him surpass Hall of Fame linebacker Rickey Jackson for the franchise sacks record last year. He’s exactly the kind of player the Saints should build their team around, even in the last leg of his career. But Loomis isn’t so sure Jordan is ready to move on from football just yet.

“We keep counting on Cam Jordan. Everybody says, ‘Well, maybe this is it,’ but he just keeps going,” Loomis continued. “He’s the (Energizer) Bunny, right? Doesn’t miss time, just keeps playing, keeps being productive, one of the better ends in our league. And so we’re excited to have him back again.”

Will an extension materialize? Both sides are probably motivated to get it done. Beyond Loomis’ own words, reports have already flown around signaling the Saints’ intent to get a deal done before training camp. Jordan would like the long-term stability for himself and his family, who he just took on a monthlong road trip through Spain in search of somewhere warm after last year’s freezing game in Cleveland. Even if he isn’t as impactful a pass rusher as he once was, Jordan is still a consistent defender and a cornerstone of the Saints defense, and Loomis wants it known how highly they value him.

“When he talks about retirement,” Loomis finished, considering his words carefully, “I think he’s thinking it’s years down the road, and so am I.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Mickey Loomis says Saints expect Michael Thomas to return for training camp

Mickey Loomis says the New Orleans Saints expect wide receiver Michael Thomas to return for training camp after recovering from last year’s injury:

[anyclip pubname=”2103″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8036″]

New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis shared an update on wide receiver Michael Thomas during an appearance on Sirius XM NFL Radio on Tuesday, setting the first real timetable we’ve seen for the former All-Pro’s return from season-ending surgery last year.

“I think (Thomas) is coming along, and I think he would tell you that things are going well, and we’re excited and optimistic about where he’s going to be when we begin training camp,” Loomis told hosts Bill Polian and Solomon Wilcots.

Loomis acknowledged the frustrations with a series of lower-leg injuries for Thomas, saying that he “has missed the better part of the last two years, and we’re counting on him to get healthy and to get back to his form.”

These extended absences have worn fans’ patience thin, and Thomas missing more time during organized team activities and minicamp practices is not going to met with much positivity. But it’s part of the process in getting him back to full strength. If him not being available for May and June means that Thomas will be full-go by September and October, it will have been worth it.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]