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:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C4jF67YSNsp/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

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.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

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:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C4iPbaEOnIW/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

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.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

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

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

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.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

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.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Alontae Taylor says he won’t be replacing Marcus Maye at safety

New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor moved to the slot in 2023, but says he won’t be replacing Marcus Maye at safety in 2024:

The New Orleans Saints secondary will look different this season with the team intending on releasing starting free safety Marcus Maye when free agency begins in a few weeks. Could another position switch be on the way for cornerback Alontae Taylor, who moved to the slot for the first time in 2023?

Don’t bet on it. Taylor shot down the idea of learning another new position in 2024 in response to fans on social media, who were discussing the notion of playing him at free safety in the wake of Maye’s departure. Whether he primarily covers the slot or moves back outside, he wants to be listed at cornerback.

While the Saints do have an intriguing internal candidate to replace Maye in second-year pro Jordan Howden, they’re going to need more players in the group with Johnathan Abram, Lonnie Johnson, and Ugo Amadi all headed for free agency. And we can’t ignore that Abram finished the season ahead of Howden on the depth chart. He may not be as ready for a full-time starting role as we think.

But as for Taylor: hopefully this experiment in the slot was just a one-year plan. No player was targeted more often or gave up more catches and yards than he did when guarding the slot last season, and he allowed the second-most touchdown passes in the league in that role. He’s a dynamic player on the outside, where he’s played since high school, but he was miscast in the interior over the slot. One benefit to the Saints possibly trading Marshon Lattimore this summer is that it would open a path to keep Taylor in the starting lineup where he’s played his best football.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Twitter reacts to the Saints restructuring Derek Carr’s contract

Fans and analysts on Twitter had mixed reactions to the Saints restructuring Derek Carr’s contract, locking him in as their starter for the foreseeable future:

We all saw this coming: the New Orleans Saints restructured their contract with Derek Carr on Friday, locking him in as their starter for the foreseeable future. And that led to a range of mixed reactions from fans and analysts on social media. Here’s what was being said on Twitter about the Saints’ latest salary cap gymnastics:

Jimmy Graham’s post-football plan: Row across the Arctic Ocean

Jimmy Graham has lofty ambitions in his post-football plan: Travel to the top of the world and row across the Arctic Ocean

It doesn’t look like Jimmy Graham will be playing for the New Orleans Saints again in 2024, but you never know. He was a surprise addition to the training camp roster last summer and showed he can still play — but his ambitions for the future are bigger than football. Known as an avid aviator, Graham has now explored a passion for traveling the world by sea.

Graham announced Monday that he’s preparing for “The Arctic Challenge,” an endurance rowing project which will pursue a world record by rowing 1,000 miles across the Arctic Ocean in July 2025. Graham is the team’s lead navigator.

Using this challenge to inspire young people is very meaningful for me,” Graham said in a statement from the organization. “As someone who has experienced homelessness, I recognize the importance of not letting your circumstances define your future. Through this challenge, we will showcase the power of determination, teamwork and resilience, and I am thrilled to use it as a platform for empowering kids to pursue their wildest dreams.”

He is part of a four-person rowing team planning to set out from Tromsø, Norway and travel to Longyearbyen in the country’s Svalbard archipelago, aiming to break the speed record set in 2023 of 15 days, 5 hours, and 32 minutes. Graham and his teammates will spend a year and a half training for the challenge.

It sounds like the experience of a lifetime. The Arctic Ocean is one of the last frontiers — fewer people have rowed across it than those who have walked on the moon. It’s home to a variety of wildlife: seals, seabirds, polar bears, and elusive narwhals and beluga whales among them. Weather conditions and temperatures can be highly variable as the climate changes, and the Arctic Ocean that Graham and his team plans to traverse may look drastically different from the one our grandchildren may live to see. We’ll be keeping an eye on his progress.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Saints should inquire about Brandon Aiyuk after social media posts

The price may be too high for Brandon Aiyuk. Maybe he’s not even on the table. Regardless, the Saints should inquire on his availability:

The marriage between Brandon Aiyuk and the San Francisco 49ers could be in a rough patch. Jauan Jennings has been viewed as a wide receiver who could follow now-Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak from San Francisco, but what about Aiyuk? Recent social media posts from people close to the fourth-year pro suggest he might have played his last game as a 49er. Aiyuk’s best friend and girlfriend both voiced complaints about his role in San Francisco’s offense and desire to join a new team.

To be abundantly clear, social media activity like this should be taken with a grain of salt. We’ve seen relatives and spouses vent frustrations and nothing come from it before. It’s often viewed by the public as them speaking out for the player, but that isn’t always the case. Loved ones get emotional about these games as well. Aiyuk didn’t help by being noncommittal to San Francisco after their Super Bowl loss.

Aiyuk is not a free agent and would require a trade. New Orleans doesn’t have a surplus of picks in the upcoming draft, but they should at least inquire on his availability. Aiyuk is coming off of a career season in which he was a second team All-Pro. He would provide a three level receiving threat who is a phenomenal downfield blocker. With Kubiak installing a new offense in New Orleans, adding a proven commodity with experience in the system like Aiyuk could pay big dividends.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Derek Carr had the perfect response to Mardi Gras float call-out

Derek Carr had the perfect response to a satirical call-out from the Knights of Chaos Mardi Gras parade, joining the laughter and pointing to his much-needed improvement:

Shouts out to Derek Carr for taking it on the chin: the New Orleans Saints quarterback was the subject of satire at the Knights of Chaos Mardi Gras parade during Carnival season, which featured a float depicting a reanimated Carr as a “Red Zone Zombie” to big reactions from the crowd.

“Can’t lie,” Carr wrote in response on social media, “this depicts exactly what I felt like the first half of the season so I understand.”

That’s exactly how Carr needed to approach this situation — joining the laughter, sharing with some self-deprecation, and pointing to the work he put in to improve. His arrival to New Orleans last year was a tough sell. With a big contract restructure in the works keeping him in town for at least the next two years, it’s vital that he win over the fanbase and build those connections with the community.

And Carr is right to point out that his struggles in the red zone were an early-season problem. The Saints doubled their practice reps in that phase and he ended the year as one of the league’s best quarterbacks in scoring position. Through their first 11 games, Carr went 21-of-47 (44.7%) inside the 20-yard line and scored 8 touchdown passes with an interception, posting a quarterback rating of 84. The Saints offense ended just 15 of their 40 drives with touchdowns (37.5%).

In their final six games Carr went 14-of-21 (66.7%) and threw 9 touchdown passes without turning the ball over, posting a passer rating at 114.1. The Saints scored 15 touchdowns on just 20 drives inside the red zone (75.0%). How’s that for a “Red Zone Zombie?” After seeing that reversal of fortune, Carr’s teammate Demario Davis called him the hottest red zone quarterback in the league.

It’s critical that Carr and the Saints carry that success over into 2024. With a new play caller and new coaching staff on the way, they can’t afford to start slow and make big changes at midseason again in the fall. If Carr can do that and continue doing a better job connecting with fans and teammates, maybe the city will warm up to him after all.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]