Tag: Mickey Loomis

Saints hope to re-sign Drew Brees before free agency, less clear on Taysom Hill

While Saints general manager Mickey Loomis was happy to prioritize a contract extension for Drew Brees, he was mum on a deal for Taysom Hill

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Unlike many shot-callers around the league, New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis did not schedule any formal media availability during the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine. Still, Loomis did share some quotes with New Orleans media in a brief question-and-answer session Thursday afternoon, and the conversation predictably focused on a complicated contract situation with Drew Brees.

“We certainly want to have that done before the league year begins,” Loomis said to NewOrleansSaints.com’s John DeShazier. “Whether that’s first or not (in priority of other free agents), I don’t think that matters. But we definitely have a goal of having that done before the league year begins.”

It makes sense that re-upping Brees would be at the top of Loomis’ list, even if he played it cool regarding the overall landscape of Saints free agency. Brees will no doubt have one of the largest salary cap hits on the team, effectively serving as the first domino to fall in a series of moves. It’s going to be difficult for the Saints to budget for other free agents if they don’t know what they’ll be committing financially to Brees.

Loomis and the Saints must make difficult decisions on many Saints players, including each of their quarterbacks. Like Brees, Teddy Bridgewater will be an unrestricted free agent on March 18, while Taysom Hill carries restricted free agent status. While Saints coach Sean Payton has suggested re-signing Hill to a long-term deal could be a possibility before that March 18 deadline, Loomis declined the opportunity to share his take on it.

“I don’t want to talk about that in the media before we have a chance to talk about that with him and his people. But, look, I know Taysom has had a good experience in New Orleans and we’ve had a good experience with him. Obviously I think we’d like to continue that, and he’s stated he’d like it to continue,” Loomis told Nola.com’s Luke Johnson.

While the circumstances and contexts are totally different in re-signing Brees versus Hill, it’s interesting that Loomis feels no such compulsion to speak about Brees’ situation only behind closed doors. That might suggest a little more reluctance on his part to inking Hill to a multi-year extension, which adds another level of intrigue to what already looks like a busy Saints offseason. Or maybe we’re looking too deeply into what reads like a quick aside, and Loomis really hasn’t broached the topic with the agents representing one of his most-fascinating players.

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Mickey Loomis likes his receivers, doesn’t see big need with Michael Thomas on hand

New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis likes his receiving corps ahead of the draft, at least as long as Michael Thomas is around.

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What is the biggest draft need for the New Orleans Saints? Objectively speaking, probably wide receiver. Michael Thomas led the group with 149 receptions; Ted Ginn Jr. placed second-best, with just 30 catches. After those two, second-year pro Tre’Quan Smith was the only receiver to catch at least 18 passes. Thomas put the team on his back and made NFL history, but he can’t be expected to do it his entire career. The Saints must get him some help.

But for now, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis is focused on talking up the players still in the room: behind Thomas, that means names such as Smith, Keith Kirkwood, and Deonte Harris. Backups like Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Emmanuel Butler, Krishawn Hogan, Tim White, and Maurice Harris are also around. Ginn and slot specialist Austin Carr are each pending free agents.

“I like the group of receivers that we have,” Loomis said after Senior Bowl practice in Mobile, Ala. However, much as he may like those prospects, Thomas was the only one he could specifically point to as a reason for optimism. “Obviously, Mike is an elite receiver, maybe the best in the league. Certainly, production was the best in the league and we’re excited about him, continue to be excited about him. But we’ve got a lot of guys that we like in the room.”

In other words: the Saints aren’t going to move heaven and earth to bolster the receiving corps as long as Thomas has two good hands. His NFL-best performance explains some of their confidence in his abilities, but the best Saints teams have had a bevy of weapons to work with. They can’t count on schemed touches for Taysom Hill and occasional targets to Jared Cook and Alvin Kamara to be good enough forever.

It’s likely Loomis’s attitude will change in the months ahead, as the NFL’s calendar shifts to free agency and then the hectic weeks before the 2020 NFL Draft. He admitted that he and Saints coach Sean Payton were getting their first brush with the upcoming draft class at the Senior Bowl, and that the team hasn’t really hammered out a list of offseason priorities just yet. Hopefully scouting director Jeff Ireland and his staff will find the players who can help the Saints get over last year’s postseason stall-out.

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Saints GM Mickey Loomis shares his view on Drew Brees’ future with the team

New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis shared his take on Drew Brees’ future, explaining that the Saints won’t push him away.

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New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has a big decision ahead of him: whether it’s time to bow out, and retire from the NFL on his own terms. His contract expires in March, and he’ll have the option to re-sign with New Orleans, consider new offers, or simply enter retirement.

Brees, 41, leaving the game wouldn’t really be a huge shock — he’s played professionally for 19 seasons, having devoted his life to football. He’s got a wife and four children who would love to spend more time with him. And he won’t be lacking for new career paths once he’s thrown his last pass. He’s recently managed his contract with the Saints on a year-to-year basis, taking time to decompress and deliberate after each season.

But Saints general manager Mickey Loomis wants it known that he and his team will welcome Brees back as long as he wants to play in New Orleans.

“Yeah,” Loomis replied when asked if the Saints wanted another year with the Hall of Fame-bound quarterback. “I don’t think it’s any different than it’s been for the last few years. I don’t view it any different than I did a year ago or the year before that or the year before that, regardless of whether he has a contract or not. He’s a good player. He’s been a good player. He continues to be a good player.”

Still, Loomis acknowledged that the Saints must consider more factors than Brees’ personal success and the records he’s broken. He also pointed out that it’s important not to get bogged down in a string of recent, disappointing playoffs exits: “I think that any team who makes the playoffs is a success. That’s a successful season. Yet, we all have goals and aspirations more than just making the playoffs. And you really do if you’ve made the playoffs a number of years.”

The Saints have won 26 of their last 32 regular season games, posting back-to-back 13-win seasons for the first time in franchise history. And they’ve largely done that with Brees commanding the offense. Unless Brees decides to retire this offseason or seriously regresses next year, it’s tough to imagine anyone else starting at quarterback in the foreseeable future.

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LSU Tigers prepare for CFB National Championship at Saints practice facility

Cameron Jordan and the New Orleans Saints welcomed Ed Orgeron and the National Championship-bound LSU Tigers to their team practice facility

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For at least one day, LSU Tigers quarterback No. 9 practiced in the building where New Orleans Saints quarterback No. 9 honed his craft. Now, there’s no way Joe Burrow will take the reins from Drew Brees — but it’s still cool to see him and his LSU teammates sharing space with the Saints at the team practice facility in Metairie, La.

LSU coach Ed Orgeron brought his team to New Orleans ahead of Monday night’s College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Clemson Tigers, which will be held in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. LSU is expected to draw strong crowd support by playing so deep in their home territory, which prompted Clemson coach Dabo Swinney to liken the game to traveling to another country.

Anyway, back to the Saints connection: players like Cameron Jordan and his family joined Thomas Morstead and general manager Mickey Loomis at the team practice facility when the LSU Tigers were in town, while backup guard Will Clapp caught up with Orgeron, his former coach. It’s kind of fascinating to see Jordan, someone some Saints fans may take for granted, be surrounded by star-struck college players insisting he’s someone they want to be like someday. See it all for yourself:

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Future of Saints QB situation graded as too complicated to covet

The New Orleans Saints might have the NFL’s best quarterback situation in 2019, but free agency looms for Drew Brees and Teddy Bridgewater.

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The New Orleans Saints quarterbacks depth chart is one that should be the envy of the NFL. Drew Brees is a Hall of Fame-bound passer, sitting comfortably on top. Teddy Bridgewater proved his worth as a backup who can win games in this league. And Taysom Hill is a dynamic reserve who can fill in at almost any position, up to and including quarterback.

But according to our friends over at Touchdown Wire, that short-term strength comes with a price. All three of those quarterbacks are going to be free agents after this season, and the Saints have a tough decision to make on whether to keep Brees or Bridgewater. It’s possible they’re able to re-sign both of them, but Bridgewater will have earned far more opportunities — and much bigger contract demands — than what he was offered in the last signing cycle. And that potential instability ranks New Orleans’ outlook at the position low among the league; at No. 24, to be exact:

If this ranking pertained only to this season, the Saints might be No. 1. They have a future Hall of Famer in Drew Brees and, when he missed five games with a thumb injury, backup Teddy Bridgewater went 5-0. The Saints should have a deep playoff run this year. But, after that, things get cloudy in a hurry. Brees will turn 41 in January. He’s still going strong. It’s difficult to imagine the Saints choosing to keep Bridgewater as the starter over Brees because coach Sean Payton and Brees have such a close working relationship. It’s also difficult to imagine Bridgewater choosing to stay in New Orleans as a backup when he could likely get a starting job in free agency. Third-stringer Taysom Hill never will rise to the starting role. He’s a multipurpose threat and is used mostly on gimmick plays. Unless the Saints find a magical way to keep Bridgewater, it will be time to start looking for an eventual replacement for Brees. “Don’t be surprised if the Saints find a way to keep Bridgewater,” a panelist said. “(General manager Mickey) Loomis and Payton can be very charming. The smart move is to keep Teddy, even if he’s your backup for another year or two until Brees retires. They’ll be willing to throw good cash at him.”

To put a more optimistic spin on it: the Saints have at least two NFL quarterbacks in the building they can put faith in, and they’ll probably have their pick of them in the spring. Bridgewater will be able to command a starting quarterback’s salary in the range of $20 million or better per year, which is close to the decreased salary Brees agreed to accept the last time his contract ran out.

The Saints can afford to keep one of them, but they’ll be hard-pressed to recruit Bridgewater if Brees is determined to continue playing. At least Hill can return on a low-cost restricted free agent tender, at least for one more year.

Fortunately, the Saints have plenty of time to figure this situation out. Hopefully they’ll be able to do so with everyone crowded around the Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LIV.

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