Tag: Garrett Hartley

Best New Orleans Saints undrafted free agent signings since 2006

We’re recapping the best New Orleans Saints undrafted free agent signings since 2006, from Pierre Thomas to Rashid Shaheed and everyone in-between:

The New Orleans Saints have a proud history of finding diamonds in the rough during undrafted free agency, signing rookies who weren’t fortunate to be picked during the selection event. It’s something that they’ve always valued with Mickey Loomis as general manager, but which really took off as a point of emphasis once Sean Payton took over as head coach. With the next wave of undrafted rookies looking to make their mark, it’s a great time to look back on the players who came before them.

We’re only counting players who signed with the Saints as rookie free agents — so guys like Delvin Breaux (who played in Canada) and Lance Moore (who started out in NFL Europe) were not included, even if they’re similar success stories who did not hear their names called from the stage on draft day. That’s also the case for former undrafted free agents like Chase Daniel and Brian De La Puente who landed in New Orleans after getting their pro starts elsewhere around the league.

Saints kickers past and present pay tribute to the late Tom Dempsey

New Orleans Saints kickers Wil Lutz, Garrett Hartley and Morten Anderson paid tribute to Tom Dempsey, who lost his fight against coronavirus

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The New Orleans Saints family lost a local legend over the weekend, when legendary kicker Tom Dempsey — famous for his 63-yard field goal back in 1970, which set an NFL record that lasted decades — lost his battle with the novel coronavirus. Dempsey and his family remained residents of New Orleans well after his playing career with the Saints ended, doing their part to join a community that had welcomed them with open arms.

Several other important place-kickers in Saints history recently stepped up to remember the trailblazer who, in Morten Anderson’s words, showed them how to be a pro:

Each player paid tribute to Dempsey in their own way; Saints great Garrett Hartley, who famously sent New Orleans to its first Super Bowl with a walk-off field goal in overtime during the NFC Championship Game against the Minnesota Vikings, celebrated Dempsey’s legacy with his own 63 yarder:

And as for the current Saints kicker, Wil Lutz: the Pro Bowler was one of the first to respond to the news of Dempsey’s passing, doing his part to extend his condolences to the family while acknowledging the impact he left behind:

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Former Saints kicker Garrett Hartley waived by XFL’s Seattle Dragons

Ex-New Orleans Saints kicker Garrett Hartley initially made the cut for the XFL Seattle Dragons team, but was waived due to poor medicals.

Super Bowl XLIV-winning New Orleans Saints kicker Garrett Hartley received tough news Wednesday: the XFL’s Seattle Dragons waived the 33-year-old, which Hartley explained was due to medical concerns. XFL News Hub’s Konnor Fulk first reported that Hartley would be waived. He recently joined the XFL’s Seattle branch last weekend.

Hartley announced his departure from Seattle on Instagram in an emotional two-minute video. He expressed frustration with the process, saying, “Unfortunately my time in Seattle has been cut short. Even with a world renowned spine surgeon’s backing as well as other experts, the XFL wouldn’t clear me to play.”

He was a long shot to stick in the XFL anyway, having last kicked professionally in the 2015 presesaon with the Pittsburgh Steelers. But a hamstring injury ended his NFL hopes, and it appears a spine issue will keep him out of the XFL. It’s a tough break for someone who has worked hard to get back to this stage, and appeared to get so close before the XFL’s doctors shut that door. It’s puzzling that Hartley’s medicals were cleared for his XFL workout and that he made it so far into the process as to be assigned a uniform before someone pulled the plug.

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Garrett Hartley joins XFL’s Seattle Dragons

Garrett Hartley, the kicker who helped win Super Bowl 44 with the New Orleans Saints, officially signed with the Seattle Dragons of the XFL.

Here’s big news from one former member of the New Orleans Saints: Garrett Hartley, the kicker who sent the Saints to Super Bowl XLIV with his overtime field goal against the Minnesota Vikings, has signed with the Seattle Dragons of the XFL. Funnily enough, it’s the same mascot as represented him at Southlake High School in Texas. Hartley announced his big move in posts from his official Instagram account.

Hartley, who turns 34 in May, last kicked professionally in 2014 with the Cleveland Brown, though he spent the 2015 preseason with the Pittsburg Steelers before a hamstring injury ended his year. He’s spent the years since trying to stay in shape and preparing for his next opportunity, while also logging a lot of hours in his turkey blind. He’s clearly grateful for this shot in the XFL.

Now, he’ll get to compete again as a professional football player when the XFL kicks off its 2020 season on Feb. 8, with Hartley’s Dragons starting on the road against the D.C. Defenders (in a game that will be broadcast on ABC). Their home opener is scheduled for Feb. 16 and will take place at CenturyLink Field, also the home of the Seattle Seahawks. More than 20,000 tickets have reportedly already been sold, and the game will be broadcast nationally on FOX, so Hartley will have quite the audience when it’s his time to shine. It’ll be easy to cheer for him and the other Saints players trying their hand at the startup league, which includes Dallas Renegades XFL draft picks Hau’oli Kikaha and Tommylee Lewis.

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Report: Former Saints kicker Garrett Hartley signs with XFL after tryout

Former New Orleans Saints kicker Garrett Hartley, whose famous field goal in overtime sent the team to Super Bowl XLIV, signed with the XFL.

Garrett Hartley earned his place in New Orleans Saints history by booting the 20-yard field goal to end overtime against the Minnesota Vikings in the 2009 NFC Championship Game, propelling the Saints to Super Bowl XLIV, their first title game in franchise history. Hartley hung around the NFL for a few more years, having last played in 2014 with the Cleveland Browns.

However, per a report from ESPN staff writer Kevin Seifert, Hartley is preparing to kick again professionally: now with the XFL. Hartley was one of several kickers to try out for the alternative football league, and he ended up signing a contract with them. It’s unclear which of the eight XFL teams he’ll play for, however — contracts are signed with the league itself rather than its member squads.

Still, it’s great to see Hartley get this opportunity. Other former Saints players like pass-rusher Hau’oli Kikaha and wide receiver Tommylee Lewis are trying their luck in the XFL, and some of Hartley’s past teammates such as wideout Robert Meachem also attended past tryouts. Hartley turns 34 in May, a month after the XFL’s inaugural season wraps up.

The startup league’s first games are scheduled for Feb. 8, in a double-header featuring matchups between the Seattle Dragons and D.C. Defenders (at 1 p.m. CT on ABC), as well as the L.A. Wildcats and Houston Roughnecks (at 5 p.m. CT on FOX). Maybe some former members of the black and gold can keep it going in the XFL.

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