Category: Saints on Social Media

Saints OL James Hurst retires after 10 seasons in the NFL

After 10 seasons in the NFL and four years with the New Orleans Saints, offensive lineman James Hurst has announced retirement:

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The New Orleans Saints now have their first retirement of the offseason, with offensive lineman James Hurst announcing early Wednesday afternoon he will be ending his career in the NFL.

In a lengthy Instagram post, Hurst thanked many people for their support throughout his career.  He ended the thread with a thank-you to the sport itself, saying that it gave him the opportunity to compete with and against some of the best athletes on the planet, and allowed him to accomplish a childhood dream.

Hurst spent 10 seasons in the NFL, six of which were spent with the Baltimore Ravens (who signed him as an undrafted rookie out of North Carolina), and the last four with the Saints. He signed with New Orleans back in 2020, playing in 12 games before receiving a three-year extension the next offseason. He did also take a pay cut earlier this offseason, reducing his salary cap hit down to $2.97 million and making his retirement easier for the Saints’ accountants to manage.

This retirement leaves the Saints in a difficult situation on the eve of the 2024 draft, as they were already pretty weak along the offensive line. With Ryan Ramczyk dealing with a potential long-term recovery after knee surgery, the Saints are going to need to focus heavily on restocking the position in the draft. With Trevor Penning’s development seemingly not going as planned, Erik McCoy and Cesar Ruiz remain as the two starters with three gaps alongside them at this point. We will see how the Saints handle this, but as of right now it is certainly a tough spot to be in.

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Jimmy Graham pens heartfelt speech to New Orleans in cryptic Instagram post

Jimmy Graham’s Instagram post to Saints fanns and the city of New Orleans had all the makings of a retirement speech without saying the words:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5HMtzGOH9X/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

This might mean goodbye. Jimmy Graham did everything short of saying he was retiring in a recent Instagram post. The New Orleans Saints legend thanked Saints fans and penned a heartfelt message to the city and the team, which is customary when a player is leaving a team. Seeing that Graham is 37 and already spent a year away from football, this feels like an implied retirement. Graham is also preparing to row across the Arctic in July 2025, so stepping away from the game to prepare for that adventure seems logical.

After a seven-year hiatus, Graham returned to the team that drafted him back in 2010. It took the entire season to learn how to use him, but Graham excelled in his limited role once the Saints called his number. His 6 catches on the year all went for touchdowns or first downs. His impeccable effectiveness feels like a proper send off even though he didn’t even hit 100 yards receiving.

For clarification, Graham never said he was retiring. The message does feel eerily similar to a retirement speech. Maybe he left that out on purpose to keep us on our toes.

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Thomas Morstead reacts to NFL eliminating surprise onside kicks

The surprise onside kick was already in danger, but now it’s extinct. Saints legend Thomas Morstead is just happy to have played a part in its memorable story:

Surprise onside kicks were already an endangered species in the NFL, but a new rules change is pushing them into extinction. As part of a new hybrid kick return model being trialed in 2024, teams must declare whether they’re trying an onside kick — something that’s really just a formality after previous rules changes made the play obvious.

Thomas Morstead became a New Orleans Saints legend for executing the team’s surprise onside kick, the “Ambush” play, to start the second half of Super Bowl XLIV. So for him this was a poignant moment. Morstead expressed his gratitude for having a place in NFL history as part of New Orleans’ championship-winning team.

Ironically, Saints special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi spearheaded the effort to change it while envisioning a model that will lead to more return opportunities (which you can read about here). Onside kicks were scarce in recent years, and successful recoveries were even more of a rarity, so this was a small sacrifice to make. As Morstead observed, “The game continues to change.”

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Cameron Jordan criticizes NFL’s rule banning hip-drop tackles

The NFL ignored complaints from the players association and voted to ban the hip-drop tackle. Cameron Jordan took issue with the rule change:

A big change is coming to the NFL. League ownership ignored complaints from the players union and voted to ban the hip-drop tackle on Monday, and big names around the league weren’t happy. New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan took issue with the rule change on social media.

Now, officials will be penalizing defenders for tackling offensive players around the waist and leaving the ground with both feet — resulting in a 15-yard foul and automatic first down for the offense. It’s a change in the name of safety after some high-profile players were injured on routine tackles last season.

But implementing it will be a challenge. Officials already struggle to get many penalties and penalty-worthy plays right, and this is something that can’t be practiced given the limited contact at training camp and summer workouts. It’s an unpopular move with players and a difficult task for officials, but team owners are determined to see it through anyway.

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Jameis Winston thanks New Orleans for embracing him, says goodbye to Saints fans

Jameis Winston said goodbye to Saints fans in a last look back before signing with the Browns, thanking New Orleans for embracing him:

Jameis Winston formally put pen to paper on his new contract with the Cleveland Browns on Wednesday, but before doing that he made time to thank New Orleans Saints fans for embracing him during his four years with the team.

Winston shared a highlight reel of his favorite memories and touchdown passes in a Saints uniform on social media, along with a long goodbye message expressing his gratitude for everything he experienced in New Orleans. It’s a classy tribute to a memorable stretch of his NFL career.

“Trust and believe that y’all haven’t seen the last of Jaboo,” Winston said at the end of his letter, again thanking fans in the community for their support.

He’ll be back sooner than you think: Winston’s new Browns team is scheduled to visit the Saints for a home game at the Caesars Superdome in the fall. Depending on when that game kicks off and how far along Deshaun Watson is in recovering from surgery on his throwing shoulder, it just might be Winston making the start against his former team.

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Drew Brees says even retired quarterbacks are relieved by Aaron Donald’s retirement

Drew Brees says even retired quarterbacks are relieved by Aaron Donald’s big news. He wished his old rival well in retirement:

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Even retired quarterbacks are happy to see Aaron Donald hanging up his cleats. Or at least that’s how Drew Brees feels. The legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback congratulated his old rival “on an unbelievable career” with the Los Angeles Rams, where Donald spent a decade sacking passers like Brees.

They went head-to-head five times, including the playoffs, with Brees’ Saints winning twice (and the less said of that playoff debacle, the better). Donald sacked Brees twice but hit the quarterback 11 times, including the infamous play that broke Brees’ throwing hand early in the 2019 season. Talk about a worthy opponent.

Ten years and ten Pro Bowls, with a Super Bowl championship to his name. Donald was the best defender in the sport during his time in the league and should be an easy choice for enshrinement at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 202, just a few years after Brees will have earned a bronze bust in 2026.

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Zack Baun says goodbye to Saints fans after ‘unforgettable’ 4 years in New Orleans

Zack Baun said goodbye to Saints fans after an “unforgettable” four years in New Orleans. His departure marks another big swing-and-a-miss:

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Zack Baun was one of the first losses the New Orleans Saints took in free agency, but their former linebacker didn’t waste any time in thanking the city for supporting him during the first four years of his career.

The Saints traded up to get Baun in the 2020 draft, sending their 2021 third-round pick to move up from No. 88 to 74 where they could pick him. New Orleans also got back a seventh-round pick at No. 244 which they traded the next day to go get tight end Adam Trautman.

But the plan for Baun was questionable from the start. His position coach Michael Hodges explained that the Saints planned on converting Baun from the pass-rush role he played at Wisconsin to more of a traditional off-ball coverage role that he hadn’t played before. He struggled so badly playing out of position that they drafted two more linebackers in the next two draft classes (Pete Werner and D’Marco Jackson) before relenting in 2023. When Baun was finally allowed to get after the quarterback, he generated 11 pressures (with a couple of sacks) in the final six games.

Now he’ll be doing that for another team. The Eagles are actively revamping their own pass-rush unit and Baun figures to get more looks in that role than he found in New Orleans, which would explain why he left so quickly. Still, his time with the Saints was a great learning experience, and he’s eager to embrace a new challenge in a new city. Good luck to him. The Eagles will be visiting the Saints for a home game in 2024, so we’ll see what he can do firsthand.

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Chris Olave may be going back to his college jersey number

With the loss of Jameis Winston to the Cleveland Browns, Chris Olave has floated the thought of changing back to his jersey number:

The offseason is in full swing, and with that, the New Orleans Saints are reportedly going to be losing Jameis Winston to the Cleveland Browns. It’s an opportunity for wide receiver Chriis Olave to return to his old college jersey number.

In his first two seasons at Ohio State, Olave wore No. 17 as his teammate J.K. Dobbins was using  No. 2; however, Olave would snap it up in his junior and senior years. Then he had to move on to No. 12 in the NFL with Jameis Winston having already claimed it. However, with Winston reportedly gone, that frees up Olave to return to his preferred number.

Olave responded to Alontae Taylor, who wears No. 1, on Twitter when Taylor asked if he wanted to rep the “1 & 2 combo” and his brother Josh Olave would also send out a post about the potential number change:

If this number change were to go into effect, Olave would be the first wide receiver to wear it for the Saints. There have only been six others to wear No. 2 for New Orleans, all of whom were kickers or quarterbacks:

  • K Chip Lohmiller: 1995
  • QB Aaron Brooks: 2000-2005
  • K Olindo Mare: 2007
  • K John Kasay: 2011
  • K Zach Hocker: 2015
  • QB Jameis Winston: 2020-2023

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Lonnie Johnson Jr. says goodbye to Saints fans in returning to Houston

Lonnie Johnson Jr. says goodbye to New Orleans Saints fans and teammates in returning to the Houston Texans:

This is a surprise loss: Lonnie Johnson Jr. said his goodbyes to New Orleans Saints fans and his teammates on social media Monday, at the start of the NFL legal tampering window. Johnson is going back to the team that drafted him in a deal with the Houston Texans.

Johnson was well-regarded by the Saints coaching staff, who played him last year as the primary backup to Marcus Maye. When New Orleans chose to let the veteran free safety go, Johnson appeared to be a natural choice to compete with second-year pro Jordan Howden as Maye’s replacement. Johnson was limited by a lingering hamstring injury last season but played well when healthy.

Good luck to him. Johnson pointed to the success his old Texans teammates Jordan Akins and Desmond King found in reunions with Houston as reasons for his own return. He’s eager to carve out a niche in DeMeco Ryans’ defense and prove himself. We’ll see how the Saints react.

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Alontae Taylor celebrates Baker Mayfield’s new contract extension

Alontae Taylor celebrated Baker Mayfield’s new contract. He’s eager to play against Mayfield again after snagging his first career interception:

New Orleans Saints defensive back Alontae Taylor took to Twitter to celebrate a division rival extending their quarterback. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Mayfield to a new three-year, $100 million deal; Taylor called Mayfield one of his favorite quarterbacks.

Taylor grabbed his first career interception last season off of Mayfield, in the second-to-last game of the year (quickly following it up with another takeaway in the season finale against the Atlanta Falcons). This will likely come back around in the news cycle when the Saints and Bucs meet next season. The two teams split their matchups last season, each team winning one with Mayfield at quarterback.

Mayfield will stick around in the NFC South, doing enough in his first season to earn a bigger deal. He had 4,044 passing yards last season with a 64.3% completion rate. He also threw 28 touchdowns to 10 interceptions and was selected for the Pro Bowl Games. The Bucs also recently gave wide receiver Mike Evans an extension, so this is going to remain an intense rivalry for years to come. The Saints will need Taylor to keep playing great football so they can remain competitive in the series.

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