Tag: contract

Saints bring back rookie returns specialist Jermaine Jackson

The Saints re-signed rookie returns ace Jermaine Jackson. He might bring an alternative on special teams after Rashid Shaheed’s muffed punt:

This is interesting. The New Orleans Saints announced a couple of changes to their practice squad on Tuesday, with rookie running back Jacob Kibodi being waived to open a spot for first-year wide receiver Jermaine Jackson.

Jackson, 5-foot-6 and 174 pounds, first signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent out of Idaho earlier this year. But he suffered an injury during training camp and was let go from injured reserve with a settlement. Now he’s back.

It’s tough to not connect Jackson’s return to Rashid Shaheed’s big mistake against the Atlanta Falcons, muffing a punt deep in his own territory that was recovered for an opposing touchdown. Jackson was known for his skills in the return game at Idaho and picked up 604 punt return yards with 666 kick return yards, plus four return touchdowns (three off of punts, one from a kickoff).

The Saints spent big to get him in the building as a rookie free agent by guaranteeing $160,000 of his rookie contract. That’s more than some draft picks got from their teams, so they clearly valued him then and now by bringing him back for a second look now that he’s healthy.

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Alvin Kamara is doing his part to earn a new contract with the Saints

Alvin Kamara is doing his part to earn a new contract with the Saints by playing at a high level — while injured. But will his efforts be rewarded?

Alvin Kamara is doing his part to earn a new contract with the New Orleans Saints by playing at a high level — while injured with a couple of broken ribs. But will his efforts be rewarded with a new deal?

They should be, but it’s tough to say if that’s how this story ends. Kamara has done everything the right way throughout this process. He didn’t hold out at training camp or demand a trade to a team willing to pay him what he wants. He’s worked hard and been a good mentor to his younger teammates. His bargained in good faith and made it clear what he wants and why he wants it. And his stats speak for themselves. After four weeks, Kamara leads the league in yards from scrimmage (536), and he’s tied for the most touchdowns scored (6).

It’s just too soon to say whether he’ll get what he’s seeking. Kamara didn’t want these contract talks to become a distraction during the season, so he chose to table them until the spring. And things could look radically different at that time. No running back has stepped up to take touches from him through the first four games. He’s looked exactly as dynamic in Klint Kubiak’s offense as everyone hoped. There’s a very strong likelihood that Kamara will own the team’s rushing yards title by the time he sits back down at the negotiating table.

And that might make it more difficult for the Saints to draw up a fair contract offer. If Mickey Loomis is determined to stand on what he’s already offered, even after a successful season for Kamara, he could make the call to cut Kamara and move on with a younger running back (like Boise State’s Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty). But you hope it doesn’t come to that.

Hope is really what it’s all about. Kamara is hoping his efforts result in a new deal too keep him in New Orleans until he’s finished playing football. Loomis and the Saints are hoping an extension won’t wreck their already-stressed salary cap. Kamara’s strong September has created a lot of hope in Saints fans that he’ll be able to keep it up. We’ll just have to wait and see whether that hope was warranted.

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Saints pick college football’s most exciting running back in 2025 mock draft

We have the Saints picking college football’s most exciting running back in this 2025 mock draft. Ashton Jeanty just might win the Heisman Trophy:

How can the New Orleans Saints get better in the 2025 NFL draft? After a 2-2 start with Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons, they’re slotted in at No. 13, per Tankathon, and they clearly have some problems. It’ll take more than one draft pick to cure what ails them.

So is a running back the answer? No, not for everything. But Boise State prospect and Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty was too good to pass up when we got on the clock with the Pro Football Focus 2025 NFL mock draft simulator.

Nerds will tell you not to draft a running back in the first round, but NFL teams are showing us they disagree. Bijan Robinson was picked at No. 8 in 2023. A few minutes later Jahmyr Gibbs went at No. 12. Jeanty might be better than both of them. He was certainly the best prospect when we made our pick. There weren’t any offensive linemen available at No. 13, and the defensive ends on the board didn’t fit the Saints’ established preferences. So Jeanty it was.

It’s underselling his season so far to say he’s dominated his competition. Jeanty has logged 82 carries in four games, gaining a ridiculous 845 yards — and he was pulled at halftime against Portland State after picking up 127 yards on just 11 attempts. He’s already scored 13 touchdowns this season after totaling 14 last year. A few weeks ago he ran for 192 yards and 3 touchdowns on an Oregon defense full of future NFL players.

He’s a big-play threat with 78 runs of 10 or more yards, and 17 alone this year. For context, the Saints have combined for 15 gains of 10-plus on the ground this season. And he can catch. Jeanty has caught 65 receptions on 74 targets in his three-year career, gaining 758 yards and scoring 5 touchdowns. He’s only dropped two passes in that span while shaking 30 tackles and converting as many first downs.

There have been concerns about his size but he’s an inch taller than Alvin Kamara while hitting the same listed weight (215 pounds), and he just looks faster. Jeanty is averaging 10.3 yards per attempt. That’s incredible.

And that brings us to Kamara. He chose to table contract talks with the Saints until after the season and there’s a real chance things don’t work out, which would lead to his leaving the team. You hope it doesn’t come to that. Especially if he wins the franchise rushing yards record and continues to overtake Hall of Famers in career touchdowns scored. There’s plenty of motivation to cut a deal, but until it happens we can’t assume it’ll get done.

There’s also an argument for drafting Jeanty even if Kamara signs a contract that will let him play out his career in black and gold. Neither of them should be touching the ball 30 times each week, but together they could give the Saints one of the best one-two punches in the NFL with Jeanty taking on a heavier workload as Kamara enters the last leg of his career. Right now the Saints don’t have a proven commodity backing Kamara up. They don’t trust Jamaal Williams to do it (4 carries for 10 yards the last two weeks), and Kendre Miller hasn’t shown he can get on the field to try. No one further down the depth chart has made much noise.

Situations can change. We don’t know where the Saints are going to be picking in 2025 or what their needs will be after free agency. We’ll just have to wait and see. But the way things stand right now? Jeanty is the most exciting runner in college football and he’s pushing Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter hard for the Heisman Trophy. He’d bring a real spark to an offense that could use it. If nothing else, it’s a fun possibility.

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C.J. Gardner-Johnson lost half his Saints game check in fines to the NFL

C.J. Gardner-Johnson lost half of his game check from Week 3’s win over the Saints in fines to the NFL. That’s some expensive trash talk:

You don’t see this very often. Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was fined three times by the NFL for his actions in Week 3’s win over the New Orleans Saints, losing half his game check for an illegal hit and two taunting infractions. He was a little too eager to get after his old team for his own good.

It had previously been reported that Gardner-Johnson was being fined for unnecessary roughness; he made a late hit on Saints running back Alvin Kamara after the play went out of bounds, and that came up to $11,255. But a league review found two instances of Gardner-Johnson crossing the line in taunting his opponents, which cost him two charges of $16,883 each.

Add that up and it’s $45,021 coming out of Gardner-Johnson’s paycheck. He has a base salary of $1,375,000 this year, per Over The Cap, which comes up to 17 weekly game checks of about $80,882 each (before taxes). So Gardner-Johnson really lost a little more than half of his game check because he was too hot under the collar. That’s some expensive trash talk. For his sake, it’s a good thing the late touchdown he gave up to Chris Olave didn’t cost Philly the game on top of it.

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Bills’ Von Miller proving his worth after renegotiated contract

Bills’ Von Miller proving his worth after renegotiated contract

Buffalo Bills edge rusher Von Miller now has a sack in each of the first three weeks of the 2024 season. He has been quick off the ball and has been a nightmare for offensive tackles at times.

That hasn’t always been the case, though. In 2023, Miller posted zero sacks while trying to work back from a torn ACL on Thanksgiving day in 2022. 33-years-old at the time of the injury, coaches and personnel around the team had an idea that it would take a while to return to form.

The fans didn’t see it that way. As Miller kept throwing up duds, the concern started to creep in. The main concern was the money tied up in Miller. Ahead of the 2021 season, he signed a lucrative six-year, $120 million contract. Sure, there was an out after three years to get out of the deal, but if all the Bills received from that deal was eight healthy games before Thanksgiving, that would be detrimental to the team’s cap without providing anything on the field of play.

So, after the 2023 season general manager Brandon Beane and the Bills had a decision to make. Simply cutting Miller was out of the question due to the dead cap they would’ve had to pay. So, the team got creative.

He essentially took a pay cut and bet on himself to perform again. According to Spotrac, he and the Bills agreed to reduce his 2024 base salary from $17.145M to $1.5M. He also signed a $7M roster bonus. But the real kicker was the sack incentives. There are six sack thresholds for bonuses in the renegotiated contract:

  • 2: $1M
  • 4: $2.5M
  • 6: $4M
  • 8: $6M
  • 10.5: $8.645M
  • 15: $9.645M

There is also a $1.5M bonus for an AFC Championship win.

Von Miller has certainly proved his worth to begin the 2024 season. What happens beyond this year is very much in question, but after three weeks he is already up to three sacks and is striking fear in offensive tackles.

On Monday night, Jaguars’ offensive tackle Walker Little had a false start matched up with Miller, trying to get out quickly to block him. Immediately after the false start, Miller shot around the edge to sack Trevor Lawrence and put the game on ice. He also put the Week 2 game on ice with the same speed around the edge, sacking Miami Dolphins’ QB Skylar Thompson.

Although he is playing in a rotation, Miller is as efficient as it gets. “The Closer” is proving he still has enough juice to play at a high level. Opposing quarterbacks will have to keep an eye out for when Miller jogs onto the field. We know the offensive tackles will be well aware of his presence.

Former Wisconsin CB at center of controversy surrounding UNLV QB Matthew Sluka’s transfer decision

Former Wisconsin CB at center of controversy surrounding UNLV QB Matt Sluka

A former Wisconsin Badgers cornerback is at the center of the story currently dominating the college football landscape and the entire sporting world.

That story: UNLV starting quarterback Matthew Sluka announced Wednesday morning that he would be sitting out the remainder of the 2024 season after disagreements over his NIL compensation.

His decision is noteworthy because UNLV is off to a 3-0 start and is currently ranked No. 23 in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll. The team was one of the favorites to become the Group of Five representative in the expanded College Football Playoff, at least as things stood before his decision. Sluka was 21 of 48 passing through three weeks for 318 yards, six touchdowns, one interception, 8.19 adjusted yards per attempt and 15.1 yards per completion. He also added 39 carries for 253 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.

That is all shared to capture the gravity of his announcement. It is the most significant example of a successful player on a highly successful team exercising a redshirt due to unfulfilled NIL promises — as is how it is being portrayed.

That is where former Badgers cornerback Marcus Cromartie enters the equation. Cromartie, an agent with Equity Sports, is Sluka’s NIL representation. He spoke with ESPN’s Pete Thamel to share the following perspective on the situation:

In other words, according to Cromartie, Sluka agreed to transfer to UNLV under an agreement that has not been fulfilled, now multiple games into the 2024 season.

A representative with UNLV’s collective has since denied the $100,000 figure.

There is sure to be a lot more added to this story as the days, weeks and months pass. The situation is a significant shakeup to the nature of the collective-to-coach-to-player relationships in the current age of the sport.

But our focus is the Wisconsin connection to this story. Cromartie was a Wisconsin Badger for four years from 2009-2012, the last two as a starter. He finished his Wisconsin career with 39 games played, 113 total tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception, three pass deflections and one forced fumble.

Cromartie then went on to have long, and winding, NFL career after going undrafted during the 2013 NFL draft. That included stops with the Los Angeles Chargers, Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks, Houston Texans, Detroit Lions and Montreal Alouettes (CFL).

He began work with Equity Sports in 2020, according to LinkedIn. He most recently received his MBA from Indiana University — Kelley School of Business in May, 2024.

This story is not only ongoing in that Sluka will now look to transfer elsewhere for a final season of eligibility in 2024, and in that UNLV needs a new quarterback. It may get the ball rolling toward a new organized structure for NIL, or at least an advancement past the current model.

More clarity surrounding the situation is sure to follow as more context is added to the story.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

After 3 games, it’s clear Saints are reducing Cameron Jordan’s role

After three games, it’s clear the New Orleans Saints coaching staff are reducing Cameron Jordan’s role. It just comes down to who can make the most plays:

Did you know Cameron Jordan played the second-fewest snaps in a game of his career on Sunday? The New Orleans Saints defensive end was on the field for just 20 snaps while taking a backseat to younger teammates Carl Granderson (55) and Chase Young (53) against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jordan managed just 17 snaps in last year’s game with the Detroit Lions — his first since suffering a serious ankle injury, and that remains his career-low. He played 27 snaps in Week 1 (46% of the total) and 34 reps in Week 2 (49%), but that count dropped to 20 (28%) in Week 3.

Jordan was the best player on his side of the ball in New Orleans for more than a decade. But those days are behind us, and the Saints are making adjustments to cope with their new reality. Just ask head coach Dennis Allen.

“I think you’re gonna see more of Chase and Carl,” Allen said Monday, pointing out that those two have been too effective to keep off the field. The other side of that coin is that Jordan hasn’t been effective enough to take snaps from them.

Father Time is undefeated. He’s beaten Drew Brees and Jordan’s own father Steve Jordan, who found great success in 13 years with the Minnesota Vikings. Anyone who has watched Jordan play in recent years has known this day was coming. He only had two sacks last season. Jordan had 8.5 sacks the year before but five of them came in two games.

The signs of his decline have been there for those willing to acknowledge them. It’s why the Saints have poured so many resources into defensive end searching for his successor — signing Young in free agency, developing and extending Granderson, and spending high draft picks on guys like Marcus Davenport, Payton Turner, and Isaiah Foskey. It’s just a shame so few of those players have stepped up into the vacuum created by Jordan’s decline.

Between rotating in other players more heavily and moving him inside to defensive tackle occasionally, the Saints are trying to find ways for Jordan to continue helping the team. He’s under contract through 2025 but we’re clearly approaching the end of the line. And whenever Jordan hangs up his cleats to pick up a microphone for a job in the media, we’ll be ready to support his Hall of Fame candidacy.

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Saints may regret waiting on Alvin Kamara’s contract extension

The Saints may regret waiting to shake hands on Alvin Kamara’s contract extension. He’s been an even greater fit in Klint Kubiak’s offense than advertised:

The New Orleans Saints may regret waiting to shake hands on Alvin Kamara’s contract extension. He’s been an even greater fit in Klint Kubiak’s offense than advertised. As NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport noted on Sunday morning, Kamara’s offseason push for a new deal went nowhere. He’s since tabled discussions until 2025 and focused on playing his best football.

And you can’t argue  with results. Kamara goes into Week 3 leading the league in scrimmage yards (290) and touchdowns scored (5). Kubiak’s zone-heavy run scheme has opened a lot of lanes for Kamara to work with, and they’re doing a better job getting him the ball in space as a receiver.

So now Kamara is headed into the final year of his contract in 2025, accounting for a staggering $29 million against next year’s salary cap. But  don’t fall for the distractions — the Saints have no intention of paying out the unguaranteed $25 million Kamara is owed next offseason, so no, he isn’t the NFL’s second-highest paid running back. They’ll have the option to cut him and save all $25 million if they choose.

But if Kamara keeps up this pace and has a career year? He just might have the Saints over a barrel. It would be really difficult for Mickey Loomis to justify cutting the fan-favorite focus of his offense (possibly coming off his first 1,000-yard season as a rusher), even if he’s 30. Loomis and Khai Harley are as creative in working around the cap as they come, but we can’t rule out the possibility they could be in a position where they have to pay Kamara  top-dollar.

Hopefully both sides can reach a deal in the spring after Kamara has enjoyed a strong season, leading the Saints back to the playoffs. He’s made it known he wants to finish his career in New Orleans. Let’s hope the Saints don’t end up regretting  not signing Kamara to a new deal this summer when they had the chance.

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Broncos added void years to Courtland Sutton’s restructured contract

The Broncos added three void years to Courtland Sutton’s contract. He will have a $7.125 million cap hit in 2026 even if he’s off the team.

Just before the 2024 NFL season started on Sept. 4, the Denver Broncos restructured wide receiver Courtland Sutton’s contract to get under the salary cap. By converting $11.875 million of Sutton’s $13 million salary into a bonus, Denver created $9.5 million in 2024 cap space.

Sutton has two years left on his contract — 2024 and 2025 — and the Broncos added on three void years to push his cap hits down the road. Sutton is now scheduled to have a $7.125 million cap hit in 2026 when his contract expires, according to OverTheCap.com.

Sutton will also have void years in 2027 and 2028, but they will not impact the team’s salary cap space. There’s no downside to the void years for Sutton — he’ll be paid the same amount regardless. The upside for Denver is instant cap relief, but the team will have to eat some of his cap hit in 2026 even if Sutton is no longer on the team.

Elsewhere on the contract front, fullback Michael Burton received a one-year, $1.21 million contract when he was promoted to the 53-man roster last week. Thanks to the NFL’s Veteran Salary Benefit rule, Burton’s cap hit this season will be $930,278.

The Broncos have about $6.85 million in remaining salary cap space.

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Alvin Kamara says he’s grateful for the Saints’ strong fanbase

Alvin Kamara says he’s grateful for the Saints’ strong fanbase: ‘These people love me like I’m family, and I feel the same way’

Alvin Kamara looked like his old self against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. The New Orleans Saints running back didn’t just hit paydirt and score a touchdown — he was recognized by the Caesars Superdome gameday ops crew for achieving his fiftieth career game with 100-plus scrimmage yards, trailing only Christian McCaffrey (55) for the most among active players).

Be sure to enjoy it while he’s here. Kamara and the Saints couldn’t reach an agreement on a new deal before his deadline at the start of the season, not wanting contract talks to linger as a distraction into the fall. He’s owed $25 million in 2025 but the Saints can cut him without having to pay a penny of that. There’s no way he plays on that contract.

But Kamara has said before he wants to remain in New Orleans for the rest of his career, and he reiterated that point after Sunday’s big win. Kamara says that when he says he wants to be a Saint for life, he means it. The Who Dat Nation accepting him and his family with open arms is a big reason for that.

“I love this city. I love the fans. I love these people that support me,” Kamara told reporters after the game. “These people love me like I’m family, and I feel the same way.”

Obviously, Kamara continuing to play well in Klint Kubiak’s offense will go a long way towards helping him sign an extension with the Saints in the spring. Gaining confidence in his longevity at a position not known for having many 29-year-old stars could help Mickey Loomis grow more comfortable in meeting his contract terms. And he’s off to a hot start. Kamara ran for 83 yards and gained 27 more as a receiver. Let’s see if he can keep it up through a long 2024 season.

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