Tag: Blake Gillikin

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:

Saints punter Blake Gillikin preparing for awkward jersey talk with Derek Carr

Saints punter Blake Gillikin is preparing for an awkward chat with Derek Carr. Both players happen to wear the same jersey number:

So now that the dust has settled and the New Orleans Saints have brought in their new franchise quarterback, and we can get to the really important question: who will be wearing No. 4 in black and gold, Derek Carr or Blake Gillikin?

The Saints’ punter is a restricted free agent, which means the team has multiple options in retaining him for 2023. They also don’t have a single punter under contract for the 2023 season, so it’s a safe bet that he’ll be back. But will he let Carr buy the jersey off of him? Gillikin has only made $2,059,441 from his three-year rookie contract with New Orleans, so this is a great opportunity for him to carve out a slice of Carr’s $150 million pie.

Gillikin responded to a fanmade edit of Carr wearing New Orleans’ No. 4 jersey (usually used by Gillikin) with a classic reaction meme of a child delivering a nervous side eye near the soft drink fountain at a Popeyes restaurant (an aside: the kid’s name is Dieunerst Collin, and he recently signed an NIL deal with Popeyes after becoming a Division II college football player), so he’s at least considering his options if he and Carr are on the same team next year.

As for other their options: Gillikin wore No. 93 in college at Penn State and No. 33 in high school, while Carr has used No. 4 all the way back to his high school days (and his Fresno State alma mater retired it in his honor back in 2017). Neither of Gillikin’s past numbers are eligible for punters in the NFL, though, so he’ll eventually have to pick from one of the open numbers (Nos. 1, 4, 5, 11, 14, 15, 17, and 19; if Jameis Winston, Tre’Quan Smith, or Michael Thomas move on then Nos. 2, 10, and 13 could be available) for at least training camp if Carr buys No. 4 off of him. It’s something very, very minor to monitor in the months ahead.

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The Saints took a big step back in 2022 NFL special teams rankings

The Saints took a big step back in Rick Gosselin’s 2022 NFL special teams rankings. After finishing 1st, 5th, and 5th from 2019 to 2021, they’ve dropped to 20th:

The New Orleans Saints special teams squad had a rough go of it in 2022. Place kicker Wil Lutz had his worst year as a pro by connecting on just 74.1% of his field goal tries, lowest for a team in the NFL, and it took a while for Rashid Shaheed to emerge as their best option returning punts and kickoffs. The Saints struggled to cover their own kicks, too, with injuries sidelining some of their best gunners at different points throughout the year.

It all compounded for New Orleans to rank at No. 20 in Rick Gosselin’s 2022 NFL special teams rankings. Gosselin has been scoring every team’s performance in the game’s third phase for years and he’s seen as the foremost authority on special teams play around the league. So it’s concerning to see the Saints fall within the bottom-third of the league.

That’s a steep drop from their fifth-best ranking in 2021 and 2020. And it’s kind of surprising. The Saints were ranked first in the NFL back in 2019, the first year with special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi in the building. Rizzi added the assistant head coach title in 2022 so it’s possible his added responsibilities in that role led to some gaffes in the kicking game, but that’s impossible to prove from the outside looking in.

Hopefully things turn around in 2023. The Saints may release Lutz as a salary cap casualty, and punter Blake Gillikin is a restricted free agent (as is their special teams ace J.T. Gray). Six of their top seven players in special teams snaps played last year are pending free agents: linebacker Andrew Dowell (379 snaps), safety Daniel Sorensen (319), Gray (320), linebacker Kaden Elliss (278), running back Dwayne Washington (259), and linebacker Chase Hansen (197). Change feels inevitable there, but after a down performance it’s probably needed.

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Former Penn State punter Blake Gillikin rips Pat Narduzzi’s final coaches ballot

Former Penn State player fired off shots at Pat Narduzzi and Pitt on Twitter

This week saw the final USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll released following Georgia‘s national championship romp over TCU in the College Football Playoff national championship. While the coaches’ individual ballots are kept secret during the course of the regular season, the final ballots are shared publicly to allow fans to see how the coaches stacked teams up from 1 through 25.

We got a chance to dive into James Franklin’s final ballot, and he did have a couple of Big Ten teams ranked while the consensus stuck to just Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State. But it is also interesting to see which coaches ranked Penn State the highest and which ranked them the lowest. Perhaps not too surprisingly, Penn State’s lowest ranking in the final coaches poll of the season came from none other than Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi.

Narduzzi’s final ballot had Penn State ranked at no. 9, which is still a solid final ranking for the Nittany Lions. But Narduzzi was the only coach in the poll to vote Penn State that low.

Seven coaches ranked Penn State as low as no. 8 and most coaches voted Penn State at no. 7, with a handful of ballots going as high as no. 6 (including Rutgers‘ Greg Schiano and Maryland’s Mike Locksley).

Conversely, Kansas head coach Lance Leipold had Penn State ranked the highest on his final coaches poll ballot of the year. Leipold ranked Penn State at no. 5 and was the only coach in the poll to do so.

But Narduzzi’s ballot did not go unnoticed by the Penn State community, of course. And it was former Penn State punter [autotag]Blake Gillikin[/autotag], now with the New Orleans Saints, who fired off a bit of a shot at the head coach of the Panthers upon looking over the final ballots.

“Pat Narduzzi is SALTY,” Gilliken said on his Twitter account after looking over the breakdown of the coaches ballots.

But Gilliken didn’t stop there. He followed up with a kind reminder that it has been quite some time since the last time Pitt won a major bowl game.

It’s true. Pitt’s last major bowl victory was the 1982 Sugar Bowl against Georgia to spoil Georgia’s national championship hopes. But since then, Pitt is 0-4 in games that make up today’s New Years Six.

Surely Narduzzi has some explanation for ranking Penn State as low as he did when everyone else in the country had the Nittany Lions at least one spot higher. But we probably have a good guess as to why Narduzzi voted the way he did.

And, of course, Franklin left Pitt off of his ballot entirely.

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