Tag: Blake Gillikin

30-year old Saints rookie Lou Hedley has won the Saints punter competition

30-year old rookie Lou Hedley has won the Saints punter competition

Now isn’t that something: the New Orleans Saints will be going in a new direction at punter this season, with 30-year-old rookie Lou Hedley named the starter ahead of third-year pro Blake Gillikin. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill first reported that Hedley won the job, adding that the Saints are seeking to trade Gillikin if possible.

Hedley might be the most interesting man in the NFL. The former scaffolder hails from Australia and has pursued other ventures before trying his hand at pro football, including owning a tattoo shop in Indonesia. He sold his stake in the business to fund a move to America, where he eventually joined the Miami Hurricanes and put NFL scouts on notice.

He’ll soon be punting on Sundays. The Saints also made a change at kicker by going with Blake Grupe (another rookie) and trading Wil Lutz to the Denver Broncos, where he’s reunited with Sean Payton. Dennis Allen is putting his own specialists in place in a pivotal year for his coaching career.

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Report: Saints exploring trade interest for punter Blake Gillikin

Report: Saints exploring trade interest for punter Blake Gillikin, may turn to rookie Lou Hedley

Could Wil Lutz and Blake Gillikin be a package deal? NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports that the Saints are shopping their veteran punter around the league to see if he has any trade value — meaning rookie punter Lou Hedley (Miami) would be getting the nod to replace him.

Neither Gillikin nor Hedley played at a very high level this offseason. Gillikin’s hang time and accuracy has regressed a bit from the high standards he set for himself in his first year replacing Thomas Morstead, while Hedley has taken some rookie lumps. But if the Saints believe all else is equal, it could make sense to get what they can for Gillikin and make a change.

Getting draft picks back for both specialists would be a win, even if they’re only late-round selections. Stay tuned for updates.

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Thomas Morstead isn’t taking his 15-year NFL career for granted

Thomas Morstead isn’t taking his 15-year NFL career for granted. The longtime Saints punter has caught on with the Jets’ Super Bowl-or-bust campaign:

You won’t find many players who left a team with greater appreciation from the fanbase than Thomas Morstead, and not many of them would be punters. The longtime New Orleans Saints specialist embraced the city, making himself and his family a part of the community — and proving to be a reliable asset on the field whenever the team called his number.

But even good things come to an end. These days Morstead has found himself hitched to the New York Jets’ Super Bowl-or-bust campaign, and he isn’t taking his 15-year NFL career for granted.

“God blessed me with some long legs,” Morstead told Jets Wire managing editor Billy Riccette, “I guess I walked into a casino with 10 bucks and, and have, you know, come out with millions. You know, it’s like, just an awesome dream ride.”

Morstead jump-started his career with a Super Bowl win on the Saints’ legendary 2009 squad, earning his own spot in franchise history with the iconic “Ambush” onside kick coming out of halftime. That he went on to earn Pro Bowl and All-Pro recognition while appearing in 205 games with the Saints (190 regular season, 15 playoffs) is remarkable. That he capped it off by training his own replacement, Blake Gillikin, before moving on to continue his career is laudable.

He’s hoping to lean on that experience now as the Jets go all-in on a Super Bowl run of their own. Morstead isn’t the oldest player on their team (he’s 37; Aaron Rodgers turns 40 in December) but he does feel the generation gap with his younger teammates, and he’s making the most of the opportunity to share these moments with his family. When his children were younger, they didn’t know much about his job besides it taking him away from home all the time. Now he’s involving them as much as he can.

Morstead continued, “And, you know, I think I’ve always had pretty strong whys to take out the making good money and having an awesome career experience, I think I’ve had a really strong set of whys as to what kept me going, you know, my kids are old enough, they kind of know what’s going on now. So it’s really cool to be playing, and having experiences with them, where they get to be a part of it. You know, stuff that not a lot of guys get a chance to do.”

You can read Riccette’s full interview with Morstead here as he discusses his NFL experiences, why he went to the Jets this season, and what he hopes to accomplish in the fall. So long as he isn’t playing against the Saints, we’ll be rooting for him. Hopefully he can return home some day and retire in black and gold.

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Saints sign 4-year contract extension with long snapper Zach Wood

The Saints signed an extension with long snapper Zach Wood, keeping one of their most underrated players on the team through 2027:

Now that’s what you like to see: the New Orleans Saints announced a four-year contract extension with long snapper Zach Wood, tying him to the team through 2027. Wood was one of several players we highlighted as priorities for new deals this summer, having become one of the team’s most underrated assets for his steady work on special teams. His presence is appreciated by teammates Wil Lutz and Blake Gillikin, who joined him for the formal signing at the team facility on Friday.

Wood’s arrival to New Orleans was more tumultuous than you’d expect. Back in 2017, the Saints were so unsatisfied with a training camp competition between Thomas Gafford and Chase Dominguez that they released both players and brought back veteran snapper Justin Drescher, who appeared to have lost his touch. That led them to trade for Philadelphia Eagles fan-favorite Jon Dorenbos — only to rush him into heart surgery after discovering a career-ending aortic aneurysm during his physical. Wood took part in a group tryout just days before the regular season started, won a roster spot, and he hasn’t looked back since.

This is the second extension the Saints have signed with Wood, now 30 years old; he previously inked a four-year deal back in 2020 after playing out his rookie contract. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports that Wood received $2.3 million in guarantees, which would rank among the highest figures in league history for a long snapper (New York Jets specialist Thomas Hennessy currently leads the NFL with just over $2.6 million, per Over The Cap records). Hopefully Wood can continue to do his job well and be a part of the solution for New Orleans.

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4 Saints who could lose their starting jobs in 2023

Between new roster additions and second-year leaps from highly-drafted rookies, there are some Saints players who could lose their starting jobs in 2023:

The New Orleans Saints starting lineup is going to look different in 2023, and some players returning from the 2022 squad are going to be pushed down the depth chart. That’s not a bad thing for a 7-10 team, even if it means a reduced role for some fan-favorites on offense and defense.

Here’s a quick look at four areas that could see the most change over the summer (and no, we aren’t taking the low-hanging fruit by acknowledging Derek Carr is the unquestioned starter ahead of Jameis Winston):

Which Saints player do you want to see wearing No. 0?

Which Saints player should be wearing the coveted No. 0 jersey? A new tweak to NFL rules opens it up for quarterbacks, specialists, RB’s, TE’s, WR’s, and select defenders:

The NFL has changed its jersey number designation rules again, just a year after the first big shakeup in years. The single-digit No. 0 will be eligible for select players on offense and defense as well as some specialists for the 2023 season, but who should be wearing it for the New Orleans Saints?

Here’s the list of positions eligible for No. 0:

  • Quarterbacks
  • Punters
  • Kickers
  • Running backs
  • Fullbacks
  • Tight ends
  • Wide receivers
  • Linebackers
  • Defensive backs

We can probably rule out established veterans in signature numbers like Alvin Kamara, Taysom Hill, Michael Thomas, Demario Davis, Marshon Lattimore, and Tyrann Mathieu, and it’s unlikely that Chris Olave will switch up on us so soon. Right now there are just two Saints players listed on the official team website’s roster without jersey numbers: wide receiver Bryan Edwards and kicker Alex Quevedo.

Edwards has used No. 89 (taken by Rashid Shaheed) in the NFL and in college, but he wore No. 4 (Derek Carr’s, of course) in high school. Quevedo used No. 34 in college and was initially signed No. 15 with the Saints before it was given to Kawaan Baker; he also wore No. 1 during rookie minicamp tryouts last summer, which is available again.

One good take we’ll credit first to Nola.com’s Terrin Waack is that Blake Gillikin should have first dibs on it, seeing as Derek Carr took the No. 4 he used to start his NFL career. Gillikin has already pivoted to No. 5, but he could easily make the switch if he’s interested.

The NCAA allowed student-athletes to wear No. 0 only in 2020, so there aren’t any players on the roster who have used it before in college. But there are many draft prospects coming up who could hold onto it in the NFL if they land with the Saints: Georgia tight end Darnell Washington, Boise State safety JL Skinner, Oklahoma running back Eric Gray, and Cincinnati linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. among them. This question might not get answered until after the 2023 NFL draft.

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Blake Gillikin re-signs with Saints, announces his new jersey number

Punter Blake Gillikin re-signed with the New Orleans Saints and announced his new jersey number after Derek Carr took his No. 4:

Not going to lie, this was a little anticlimactic. The New Orleans Saints are re-signing punter Blake Gillikin after his rookie contract expired on Wednesday — and speculation swirled about which jersey number he would be wearing after free agent quarterback Derek Carr claimed the No. 4 he used for the first few years of his pro career.

Both of the numbers Gillikin used before in college (93) and high school (33) were ineligible for punters, so he went with a sensible, if boring, solution. After rocking No. 4, he’s choosing to upgrade to No. 5. A round of applause, please, for his very high-tech photo edit.

The terms of Gillikin’s new contract have not been reported, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Saints bring in some competition for training camp. He wasn’t very consistent last season and it wouldn’t hurt to have another punter in the building this summer to make sure the Saints are putting their best foot forward.

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Derek Carr confirms his New Orleans Saints jersey number

Derek Carr confirmed his New Orleans Saints jersey number, but what about Blake Gillikin? The free agent punter has a tough decision in front of him:

This is a tough scene: if he’s back with the New Orleans Saints in 2023, young punter Blake Gillikin won’t be wearing the same jersey number. NewOrleans.Football’s Mike Triplett reported that the team’s big free agent pickup Derek Carr will continue to wear the No. 4 jersey he’s used all throughout his playing career, which was confirmed by Nola.com’s Luke Johnson.

Gillikin’s contract with the Saints expired, making him a restricted free agent, though he’s a good pick to return to the team on a new deal. And when he does, he’ll be wearing a new jersey number (Triplett adds that Gillikin gave Carr his blessing to pick No. 4, which was a nice gesture).

What number Gillikin will pick if he returns is anyone’s guess: he wore No. 93 in college at Penn State and No. 33 in high school, neither of which are eligible for NFL punters. Best of luck to him in sorting that out, but first he and the Saints need to hammer out a contract.

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Every former Penn State player who will be an NFL free agent

Penn State has 40 players currently in the NFL, 13 of them are primed to be free agents when the new league year starts.

Penn State has 40 players currently in the NFL, 13 of them are primed to be free agents next week.

Penn State has long been a storied program in the college football ranks and they have always produced quality NFL talent, including several Hall of Fame players. In the mix of it all, the present crop of Nittany Lions in the league is well-represented at nearly every position.

Here are the 13 looming free agents that have played inside Beaver Stadium that will be looking for new deals when the NFL league year begins on Tuesday.

Predictions for 7 Saints restricted free agents like Juwan Johnson, Blake Gillikin

The Saints have options for holding onto their 7 restricted free agents, a group that includes Juwan Johnson, Blake Gillikin, Marquez Callaway and Malcolm Roach:

One of the more interesting facets of NFL free agency is the players who carry restricted status — typically those who entered the league as undrafted free agents with three years’ experience. Their restricted status gives teams like the New Orleans Saints multiple options at retaining their services in 2023, either on fully-guaranteed tenders, re-signing them to minimum salaries, or hammering out new contract extensions altogether.

And the Saints have seven restricted free agents to deal with. They’ve got to make decisions on them beginning on March 15, at the start of the new league fiscal year, and they have until April 21 to either sign them to a long-term deal or sign that contract tender on the dotted line. Let’s run through the list and how much it could cost the Saints in each scenario: