Tag: contract

Should the Saints pick up fifth-year options for Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramczyk?

The New Orleans Saints must decide whether to pick up fifth-year options on All-Pro RT Ryan Ramczyk and Pro Bowl CB Marshon Lattimore.

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The players selected by the New Orleans Saints in the 2017 NFL Draft have formed a core for the rest of the team to build around. That draft class included key fixtures such as cornerback Marshon Lattimore, right tackle Ryan Ramczyk, free safety Marcus Williams, and running back Alvin Kamara, as well as contributors like linebacker Alex Anzalone and edge rusher Trey Hendrickson.

But now it’s time to make contract decisions for each of them. With the 2019 season in rear-view, they’re all eligible for long-term contract extensions, even with one year left on their rookie contracts. As former first-round picks, the Saints can exercise fifth-year options for Lattimore and Ramczyk, which would keep them under contract through 2021. But would doing that be worth it?

In a word: yes.

Because neither Lattimore nor Ramczyk were top-10 draft picks, their fifth-year options are worth quite a bit less than if they had been selected higher. The values for fifth-year options are determined both by draft slot (1 through 10 versus 11 to 32) and the position they play. Top-10 options are the average of the 10 highest-paid players at that position, while those picked outside of the top 10 are paid the average of the third through 25th highest salaries.

Last offseason, the Saints declined Eli Apple’s fifth-year option for 2020 — because he was the tenth overall pick back in 2016, he would have been owed more than $13.6 million in the upcoming season. Instead, he’ll likely test free agency or re-sign with the Saints at a significantly cheaper rate.

These numbers will rise slightly as new deals are signed with other players between now and 2021, but here’s what the estimated fifth-year options would look like for Lattimore and Ramczyk, per annual salary data from Over The Cap:

  • Lattimore’s estimated fifth year option: $11,648,790
  • Ramczyk’s estimated fifth year option: $12,860,543

To be clear: exercising these options for 2021 will not impact either player’s cap hits in the upcoming season, when Lattimore will count for north of $4.8 million against the salary cap while Ramczyk is due more than $2.8 million.

Those 2021 salaries will be fully guaranteed for injury, but it’s easily worth the price considering both players are All-Pro talents. Either of them could reset the market at their respective positions once it’s time to pay their long-term contract extensions (right now, Xavien Howard paces the cornerbacks with $15.05 million per year; Lane Johnson leads all offensive linemen at $18 million per year).

While keeping both Lattimore and Ramczyk under relatively-low salary cap hits is important, the real benefit of picking up these options is creating more time for old contracts to get off the books. The Saints are going to have at least $21.3 million in dead money counting against the salary cap whenever Drew Brees retires, so if they can buy more time on these mega-deals for Lattimore and Ramczyk, they should. It’s one of the easier decisions they’ll have to make this offseason, compared to more serious issues like whether Williams and Kamara should be re-signed long-term.

Lattimore deservedly caught some flak for his poor performance against Adam Thielen in the playoffs; Thielen went off with 7 catches for 129 yards with Lattimore primarily covering him. But fans (and the Saints) shouldn’t be prisoners of the moment and think that justifies trading or, ridiculously, cutting him. No player in the NFL has recorded more passes defensed from 2017 to 2019 than Lattimore (44 in 43 games), and he’s played fewer games than each of the runners-up (Tre’Davious White, with 43 in 47 games and Marlon Humphrey, who had 40 in 46 games). He’s one of the most consistent playmakers the Saints have.

So, to summarize: Ramczyk and Lattimore are two of the most-valuable players in New Orleans, and they deserve to be paid as such. And the Saints can help ensure that happens by picking up their fifth-year options to maximize their salary cap resources in the years ahead. The Saints will have until early May to decide whether to exercise these team options for the 2021 season, but from where things stand in January, it’s an easy call to make.

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J.T. Gray lost most of his game check to NFL fine for illegal block vs. Vikings

New Orleans Saints safety J.T. Gray, a second-team All-Pro, was fined $28,075 for an illegal blindside block versus the wild-card Vikings.

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It’s bad enough that the New Orleans Saints were unceremoniously booted out of the playoff picture in last week’s loss to the wild-card Minnesota Vikings. You have to feel for backup safety J.T. Gray, who was penalized for an illegal blindside block during a punt return — and then hit with a $28,075 fine by the league office, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

While he may have been voted a second-team All-Pro for his efforts on special teams, Gray’s salary ranked low on the team in 2019. He played on $570,000 contract that paid out just over $33,529 per week. In the playoffs, the NFL’s tiered payout structure granted him $31,000 for his participation in the wild-card round as a member of a division-winning team.

Now, most of that cash is gone. It’s unfortunate for a young player to be fined so heavily for a foul, especially on a rule that was just recently introduced in last offseason’s owners meetings. There’s no doubting the validity of his penalty and the fine that it drew, but maybe the NFL Players Association and the league can reach some sort of compromise on fining players relative to their income during the ongoing CBA negotiations. It would do a lot to help out the players who aren’t as experienced or as financially secure as their peers. Hopefully it’s something the powers that be will consider.

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Is Taysom Hill the future at quarterback for the Saints? Probably not

The New Orleans Saints have tough decisions to make at quarterback, but betting the farm on third-string passer Taysom Hill isn’t the answer

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Taysom Hill is a very fun player to watch in the NFL. He runs, he catches, he chips in heavily on special teams, and he’s even asked to throw occasionally. It makes plenty of sense that he’s already become such a fan-favorite among New Orleans Saints supporters.

None of that is enough to suggest Hill is the future of the quarterback situation in New Orleans. Here’s the reality: Hill turns 30 in August and has only gone 7-of-15 as a passer in 34 regular season games. His biggest gains have required difficult adjustments by his receivers because he lacks the touch to put the ball out in front of them, hitting them in stride. He’s a limited passer. The list of players who continue to improve and have lengthy careers with his resume is almost nonexistent.

Yes, Hill showed improvement in last year’s preseason. He reacted better to pressure and hung out in a collapsing pocket to let his receivers’ routes develop further downfield. But few of the opposing players he stood tall against are still in the NFL, having made up third- and fourth-string units around the league. So far, he’s shown nothing to justify hinging the future of the franchise on.

And the Saints know that. While Sean Payton may offer fun soundbites comparing Hill to an all-time great like Steve Young, he’s also been quick to acknowledge that Hill’s best contributions come on the ground as a runner, as a receiver in the red zone, or on special teams as a heady athlete who’s eager to embrace contact. If Payton and the Saints believed in Hill so strongly, they wouldn’t have made such a strong push to recruit Teddy Bridgewater during free agency last offseason. They should make similar efforts this spring.

So, no, fans should not be putting expectations on Hill to be the next guy to step up after Drew Brees moves on. That’s just not fair to him. Celebrate Hill for what he is — a tough, throwback football player who defies position titles. He’s an important part of the team and arguably one of their best pieces in the receiving corps. He’s a staple of the punt and kick units. He’s arguably their best short-yardage ball-carrier. But it’s far from certain that he’s the long-term answer at quarterback, and he shouldn’t be treated as such. Let him continue doing what he does best.

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What should the Saints do with their 5 restricted free agents?

It’s time for the New Orleans Saints to make contract decisions on restricted free agents like Taysom Hill, Justin Hardee, and Austin Carr.

Many New Orleans Saints players are set to enter unrestricted free agency, giving them the opportunity to negotiate with new teams and potentially land a big payday. However, five of their teammates are going into March’s signing period with restricted free agency status. Here’s what that means.

Restricted free agents can negotiate with other teams, but their current squad can claim the right of first refusal through exercising one of several different one-year contract tenders. But the ability to match contract offers comes with a price.

The latest projections from Over The Cap suggest tender values in the range of $4,667,000 (for first-round pick compensation) to $3,278,000 (second-round pick compensation), and $2,144,000 (for original-round draft pick compensation). Those totals are fully-guaranteed against the salary cap.

New Orleans doesn’t have a good history with restricted free agency. They have only used the lowest tender level in recent memory, and rarely matched opposing contract offers. They let wide receiver Willie Snead leave uncontested when the Baltimore Ravens signed him to a two-year, $7 million deal in 2018. Backup tight end Josh Hill signed a three-year, $7.5 million offer sheet with the Chicago Bears in 2016, but the Saints matched it and extended him again in 2018.

They didn’t even tender defensive tackle Tyrunn Walker back in 2015, despite it only costing about $1.54 million at the time and Walker having shown some rare bright spots in a historically-bad defense (the Detroit Lions signed him to a one-year, $1.75 million deal, and re-upped him the next season). He’s an example of a player the Saints hoped they could keep on a veteran’s minimum salary, which is obviously a riskier option.

But things are projecting differently in 2020. There’s a good chance the Saints exercise one of the more-valuable tender options; in fact, they may have to. They could also work out long-term contract extensions if they so choose; Saints kicker Wil Lutz did just that last year, when he was a restricted free agent. Here are the five Saints players that qualify, and what the team should do with each of them.

Justin Hardee, cornerback

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Hardee’s had an interesting career path, and now he’s one of the Saints’ central special teams aces. He plays often on the punt and kickoff units, and led the team in snaps played in the game’s third phase (362) last season, outpacing even Craig Robertson (324) and Taysom Hill (286). He’s someone the Saints coaches have invested years of development in, and should definitely try to keep around for the future.

The question they have to ask now is how much Hardee’s contributions are worth. He doesn’t play defense (just 37 snaps logged last season) and is still learning the position’s finer points after entering the NFL as a wide receiver. He can’t be counted on just yet to be a top backup behind Marshon Lattimore and Janoris Jenkins. But his presence on special teams speaks for itself, and the Saints might do well to sign him to the lowest contract tender, then wait and see whether the market can set a price on his long-term contract value.

Verdict: Sign him to a right-to-match tender.

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Alvin Kamara’s agent joins Klutch Sports; Lakers trade request imminent?

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara will be up for a new contract extension, and his agent Demarius Bilbo just joined Klutch Sports

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New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara is under contract with the team through the 2020 season, but he’ll soon be eligible to negotiate an extension. That’s dramatic enough as it is; before the 2019 season, Kamara looked to be in position to join Dallas Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott as one of the top-paid young runners in football, thanks to his sky-high efficiency numbers and impressive knack for scoring touchdowns.

Instead, his production trailed off a bit in an injury-plagued campaign, and it’s fair to wonder if he figures into New Orleans’ long-term plans. Considering that other former Saints skills position talent such as Jimmy Graham and Brandin Cooks have been shipped out of town, it’s not impossible to imagine a trade developing should the Saints think they’re getting back fair value.

On Wednesday, Kamara’s looming contract talks with the team took an unexpected turn when NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Kamara’s agent, Damarius Bilbo of Revolution Sports, would be joining Klutch Sports. Bilbo will now head Klutch’s football division and bring his roster of agency partners and clients with him beneath Klutch’s banner.

This is noteworthy because of Klutch’s role as antagonists in the Anthony Davis trade saga experienced by New Orleans Pelicans fans last year. Klutch is headed by Davis’s agent Rich Paul, who also represents LeBron James and angled to get both of his top clients together with the Los Angeles Lakers. His heavy-handed negotiating tactics sat poorly with Pelicans fans, though a deal was eventually worked out. So now we’re left asking, tongue very firmly in cheek, whether Paul will try to wrest away another icon from the New Orleans sports scene. Hey, it almost happened in HBO’s “Ballers,” didn’t it?

All jokes aside: this likely means next to nothing for Kamara’s future with the Saints. We’ll find out in just a few months whether the team intends to take a proactive approach with his contract (as they did last summer with Michael Thomas, Cameron Jordan, and Wil Lutz) or if they would rather let him play out his low-cost rookie deal before opening negotiations. All that’s certain right now is how the offseason never seems to pass by quietly in New Orleans.

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A.J. Klein reflects on three years in New Orleans ahead of free agency

New Orleans Saints linebacker A.J. Klein and his family have called the city home for 3 years, but the 2020 free agent could be on the move.

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It’s been an eventful three years for New Orleans Saints linebacker A.J. Klein. He signed with the team as an unrestricted free agent back in 2017, having backed up Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis with the division-rival Carolina Panthers for the first leg of his career.

Since then Klein has risen to prominence as a starting linebacker in New Orleans. It’s the city where he and his wife became parents, having adopted a son and welcomed the birth of their daughter in 2019. He’s put down roots and isn’t very eager to move on, even though he acknowledges that’s part of the business he’s in.

He originally signed a three-year, $15 million contract with the Saints; for salary cap accounting purposes, that deal included an automatically-voided fourth year, which means he’ll hit the open market in March. He’ll turn 29 in July, and this might be his last chance to draw a big contract.

Klein spoke about his uncertain future with The Athletic’s Katherine Terrell, saying, “I would obviously be very excited about the opportunity to come back. I’ll cross that bridge when we get there and obviously take this time to digest everything that happened.”

Wherever Klein goes next, he’s poised to cash in during free agency. He had a career year with the Saints in 2019, posting career-bests in solo tackles (45), sacks (2.5), and quarterback hits (5). He capped it all off by returning an interception for a defensive touchdown in Week 17 against the team that showed him the door, his first scoring play in seven years in the NFL.

Lining up predominately as a strongside and middle linebacker, he showed an ability to make an impact as the backside pursuer on stretch plays while holding up well in run defense when the ball came his way. The 753 snaps he played on defense beat his previous career-highs of 669 and 664, each totals from his past two years with the Saints.

“It’s been,” Klein continued, gathering his thoughts, “a quick three years since I’ve gotten here, and just to see the change in the culture and obviously be able to be part of a defense that’s been able to win football games around here is huge.”

On paper, the Saints are set up well at linebacker for 2020, even if they’re a little beaten up. First-team All-Pro Demario Davis will continue to start on the weak side. Alex Anzalone is the projected starter in the middle, even though his year ended on injured reserve. He has a lot to prove in what will be a contract year. The Saints acquired Kiko Alonso in a preseason trade with the Miami Dolphins and he’s the easiest fit on the strong side, but he’ll spend the offseason rehabbing a surgically-repaired torn ACL. Rookie backup Kaden Elliss also went down with an ACL injury back in September, leaving Davis and veteran backup Craig Robertson as the only healthy options on the roster right now.

While there’s no guaranteeing whether Klein would start, his presence would do a lot to solidify that group. Maintaining continuity from one year to the next is important in the NFL, especially on defense. But Klein’s acutely aware that whether he sticks around is not something he can control right now.

“I don’t know whats going to happen,” Klein admitted, “I don’t know what my future is here, whether it’s this team or a different team. I’ll let things run their course but … I’d love to be back. I love this city, I love this team. I love this locker room and I’m invested in it, but we’ll see.”

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Derek Wolfe, Jamin Pastore donate $1M to high school alma mater school district

Derek Wolfe helped contribute toward a $1 million donation used to improve Beaver Local Schools’ athletic facilities and football stadium.

Denver Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe and JP Capital Management president/CEO Jamin Pastore returned to their high school alma mater this week to donate $1 million toward the school district’s athletic facilities and football stadium.

Wolfe and Pastore both played football at Beaver Local High School.

“These two Beaver Local alumni have become like brothers through the years, a brotherhood that began on the football field,” Beaver Local Schools superintendent Eric Lowe said in a statement, via DenverBroncos.com. “Jamin was returning from Duke University during the summer to help with youth football speed camps when he met Derek.

“The two have bonded over their love of football and our local community. They look forward to giving back to the athletic program that served as such a positive influence in their lives.”

If Wolfe and Pastore each donated $500,000, that would represent 6.25% percent of Wolfe’s $8 million base salary for the 2019 season. Wolfe is about to become a free agent in March — he would like to re-sign with the Broncos and finish his career in Denver.

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3 ‘go for broke’ big free agent signings the Saints could pursue in 2020

The New Orleans Saints may shake up the NFL in free agency. Here’s the case for signing Brandon Scherff, Yannick Ngakoue, or Amari Cooper.

The New Orleans Saints are going into the 2020 offseason in a precarious position. They’ve assembled one of the most-talented rosters around the league, featuring star talent at nearly every position group. They also don’t have a single quarterback under contract past March. And fresh off of a painful postseason loss to the Minnesota Vikings, it’s fair to wonder whether they’re one or two big upgrades away from getting back to Super Bowl contention. It’s possible that this team has deeper-running issues that could take a while to fix.

Unfortunately, time isn’t on their side. Drew Brees should be expected to re-sign for another title run as the team’s starting quarterback, and he’ll be turning 41 next week. Many of those same Pro Bowl-bound core players are going to be due big paydays in the near future. The Saints haven’t shied away from making a splash in free agency in the past, with varying results (some are good, like Brees himself and linebacker Demario Davis. And then you have the Jairus Byrd and Brandon Browner signings), so it’s possible they go that route again.

Let’s be clear: betting everything on one blue-chip free agent pickup isn’t the route we’d like to take. The Saints got where they are now by patiently investing in their scouting and coaching staffs, carefully selecting high-upside free agents and trusting their process to develop them into studs. That’s how you sustain success in the NFL. If anything, this year feels like one where the Saints could keep their investing in-house, holding onto homegrown talent while angling to qualify for a compensatory draft pick or two next offseason.

But if the Saints are truly desperate to win a Super Bowl championship with Brees still around, and if they think a huge free agent addition is the way to get there, then these are the moves we’d advocate for.

Brandon Scherff

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Scherff, 28, was voted into the Pro Bowl in three of his first five years in the NFL. He’s appeared in 65 of 80 possible games, playing 4,130 snaps during that time, and been fouled 22 times (three offsetting/declined). While he’s played right guard exclusively in the NFL, Scherff starred on the left side at both tackle an guard in college with the Iowa Hawkeyes — the position he’d fill in New Orleans.

With one-time Pro Bowler Andrus Peat on the outs in free agency, the Saints will have a hole to fill in the starting lineup at left guard. For context, Peat has also appeared in 65 of 80 regular season games, logging 3,702 snaps, drawing 24 penalties (just one offset/declined). In other words, Scherff played 428 more snaps (the equivalent of seven more games) and committed just two more fouls. Going from Peat to Scherff would be as strong an upgrade as you’ll see in the NFL, but it would carry a huge cost. Scherff wants to be the highest-paid guard in the league, and reportedly turned down a $13 million per-year contract offer from the Washington Redskins to get it.

That’s a tall ask. Salary cap management isn’t as much a concern for the Saints as other teams (general manager Mickey Loomis is comfortable with creatively manipulating contract structures to create new spending room), but it is something worth noting. The Saints have already handed out big-money deals to left tackle Terron Armstead and right guard Larry Warford, while right tackle Ryan Ramczyk has two years left on his rookie contract if the Saints pick up his option for 2021 (they will). Standout center Erik McCoy is entering the second of his four-year rookie deal. It won’t be easy, but there’s room for Scherff in the Saints’ budget.

The Risk: Scherff is already 28, and will require a market-resetting contract to acquire. He’s ended each of his last two seasons on injured reserve with a torn pectoral muscle (in 2018) and elbow and shoulder issues (in 2019). If these are connected problems, it could be a sign of his body breaking down, which would limit his availability moving forward.

The Reward: Scherff sets the pace for the rest of the NFL’s guards in pass-blocking efficiency, and his presence would do a lot to solidify an offensive line that got exposed in the playoffs by a talented Vikings front. Whether Brees, Teddy Bridgewater, Taysom Hill, or someone else is under center the next few years, Scherff would be an excellent upgrade — when he’s healthy.

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Sean Payton discusses Taysom Hill’s increased usage, production

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton was as impressed as anyone by how versatile backup quarterback Taysom Hill responded in the playoffs.

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It’s tough to list bright spots from the New Orleans Saints’ disappointing loss to the Minnesota Vikings without mentioning dynamic sometimes-quarterback Taysom Hill. Hill was one of the best players of the game, and Saints coach Sean Payton acknowledged that while crediting Hill’s ability to make an impact at almost any position.

“My understanding is you can’t find a spot for him on your fantasy roster, so it’s probably difficult for the reality of it, too,” Payton joked during his end-of-year press conference on Tuesday. Hill’s designation as a quarterback on many fantasy football websites has clashed with his habit of “vulturing” touchdowns from the Saints skills-position players, having caught six scores in the regular season (plus another one in the playoffs).

The way Payton tells it, this wasn’t really the plan. But Hill kept impressing in practice and during games on special teams, so Payton began workshopping plays to involve Hill more heavily in the offense: “It wasn’t that we looked at him differently, but the more and more we kept watching him the more and more we thought ‘he’s one of our better players and he needs to be on the field.'”

Hill turned in his biggest performance yet for the Saints in Sunday’s wild-card round loss, and it was still on Payton’s mind days later. He continued, “That (usage) evolved even more to a point where, obviously there’s a read-option element to when he’s playing quarterback, to the deep pass he threw to Deonte (Harris) was something that we felt might have a chance. He’s got real good arm strength. He was exceptional Sunday, he was outstanding. He’s an exciting football player, he does a lot of things well, and I’m glad he’s on our team.”

That certainly doesn’t sound like a coach who’s about to let a player leave in restricted free agency. The Saints can retain Hill with one of several different one-year tender options, but it’s possible another team tries to sign him should the Saints pass on the first- or second-round compensatory pick tenders. Cutting corners to use the cheap, right of first refusal tender might not be the way to go here.

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Broncos DE Derek Wolfe wants a fair contract: ‘I’m not trying to break the bank’

Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe isn’t “trying to break the bank” on his next contract.

After completing the final season of a four-year, $36.7 million contract, Denver Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March. The 29-year-old defensive lineman knows he’s not going to get a monster contract and he doesn’t expect one — he doesn’t want to sign a bargain offer, either.

“It’s about being fair, that’s what it’s about,” Wolfe said on Dec. 30. “I’m not trying to break the bank anywhere. If I have to go somewhere else, I’m not trying to break the bank there either. It’s all about what’s fair. I’m not trying to be top of the market and I’m not trying to be bottom of the market either.”

Wolfe was selected by Denver in the second round of the 2012 NFL draft out of Cincinnati. He recorded a career-high seven sacks in 12 games last season before suffering an elbow injury.

Wolfe hopes to re-sign with the Broncos but he understands it might not work out that way.

“I want to retire here, but I also don’t want to seem desperate,” Wolfe said. “It’s one of those things where I’ve said it so many times before, this is a business.

“The business has to do what’s best for the business. If what’s best for the business is keeping me here, then I’m ecstatic about that. If what’s best for the business is me leaving, that sucks, but it is what it is. It’s a business.”

Wolfe has totaled 299 tackles and 33 sacks over the last eight years.

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