Report: Saints come up short, Titans expected to sign Jadeveon Clowney

The New Orleans Saints missed out on Jadeveon Clowney, who is expected to sign with the Tennessee Titans as a free agent from the Seahawks.

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They made a strong effort, but it wasn’t enough. The New Orleans Saints weren’t able to sway free agent pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney and he is expected to sign with the Tennessee Titans, per ESPN’s Dianna Russini. The opportunity to reunite with his old position coach, Mike Vrabel, wasn’t something the Saints could compete with.

This whiff leaves the Saints where they started at defensive end: with Cameron Jordan and Marcus Davenport starting on each side, backed up by third-down specialist Trey Hendrickson and emerging second-year pro Carl Granderson. That’s not a bad group, but it would have been better for adding Clowney to it.

To be clear: the Saints didn’t need Clowney. They chose to go after him because he could have elevated the defense to another level. It’s unfortunate that their sales pitch didn’t win out, but it isn’t the end of the world.

And another angle to consider is that the Saints showed other possible big additions how far they’re willing to go to get an edge. If a star player becomes available at the NFL’s trade deadline in October, New Orleans has the resources on hand to go get them.

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Saints waive rookie QB/TE prospect Tommy Stevens

The New Orleans Saints waived Tommy Stevens, a rookie prospect out of Mississippi State who converted to tight end from quarterback.

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Here’s a shock at the New Orleans Saints roster cuts deadline: the team has waived rookie tight end Tommy Stevens, its final pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Saints traded their sixth-round selection in 2021 so that they could add Stevens in the seventh round, protecting him from being signed as a rookie free agent by the division-rival Carolina Panthers.

Stevens played quarterback at Mississippi State and Penn State, but was converted to tight end by the Saints in an effort to pick up the reins from versatile playmaker Taysom Hill — who is spending more and more time under center as the clock ticks away on the end for Drew Brees’ NFL career.

The rookie had played well enough in training camp to earn a spot on the practice squad, but first he’ll have to clear through waivers. That may be difficult if another team like the Panthers takes an interest in him. Stevens was coached up by Panthers offensive coordinator (and former Saints assistant) Joe Brady at Penn State, where he pioneered the playbook that Hill later made famous.

Waiver wire claims will be processed by noon E.T. on Sunday. Check back to see whether Stevens will remain with the team that drafted him.

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4 former Saints players make the initial Panthers roster

The Carolina Panthers retained former New Orleans Saints players including Teddy Bridgewater and Eli Apple on their initial 53-man roster.

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The Carolina Panthers announced their roster cuts on Saturday ahead of the NFL deadline, and four of their 53 players still under contract are former members of the New Orleans Saints.

Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is joined by cornerback Eli Apple, wide receiver Keith Kirkwood, and tight end Christ Manhertz. On the coaching staff, former Saints assistant Joe Brady is working as first-year offensive coordinator. Carolina waived defensive lineman Woodrow Hamilton and defensive backs Natrell Jamerson and T.J. Green, each of whom spent time with the Saints in recent years.

So fans can expect that “revenge game” narrative to be popular when the Saints and Panthers match up this season. But it’ll take more than motivation for the Panthers to notch a win against the Saints; Brady, Bridgewater, and new head coach Matt Rhule have their work cut out for them in the always-competitive NFC South.

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Michael Thomas reacts to Deshaun Watson’s monster contract extension

The Houston Texans signed QB Deshaun Watson to a big contract extension, prompting New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas to congratulate him.

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Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is easy to root for, even in the eyes of his peers. So when he earned a $40 million per-year contract extension on Saturday, he also earned words of congratulations from other young stars around the NFL — like New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas.

Thomas praised Watson from his official Twitter account, also offering a shoutout to Watson’s agent, David Mulugheta of Athletes First. Mulugheta once represented Thomas himself, though the All-Pro wide receiver has since signed with a different member of the same agency: Andrew Kessler, who helped secure a $100 million extension for Thomast last summer.

It’s a big win for Watson, who returned from an early-career knee injury to lead the Texans in several postseason runs. He’s one of the most exciting young quarterbacks in the game today, and memorable to Saints fans after taking them down to the wire in the 2019 season opener. For our part, we’re happy to see him stay in the AFC, where the Saints will only have to see him every four years.

That said: what could Watson’s contract extension mean for the Saints quarterbacks? Both Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston will be testing free agency in the next year or two, and this is the sort of tide that raises all ships. If either of them becomes the starter in New Orleans after Drew Brees, they should expect their salaries to take a big boost to keep up with the market. Now just how high they might claim remains to be seen.

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Report: Jadeveon Clowney fires agent again amid free agency tour

The New Orelans Saints are trying to recruit star pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney, but it’ll be hard to sign him after he fired agent Bus Cook.

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Here’s a new wrinkle to the Jadeveon Clowney saga: NBC Sports’ Mike Florio reported that Clowney has parted ways with his agent, Bus Cook of B.C. Sports. It would be the second year in a row in which Clowney has fired his agent near Labor Day weekend; unsatisfied with progress on a long-term deal with the Houston Texans, Clowney briefly went without Cook’s representation before re-hiring him four days later.

It’s unclear what the play is this time. Clowney could be looking to hire a new agent (Florio added that Kennard McGuire of MS World LLC is a strong possibility), but Cook would have to waive the NFL-mandated, five-day window preventing Clowney from bring in new representation if he’s going to sign a contract with the New Orleans Saints or anyone else.

Of course, Clowney could always negotiate the deal himself, but results have been mixed when NFL players have represented themselves in these sort of contract talks.

Maybe this will end up going smoothly for the Saints as they work on a one-year contract offer for Clowney. But he already knows what the Tennessee Titans can offer him; Titans coach Mike Vrabel, Clowney’s former position coach with the Texans, said as much Friday when he confirmed that his team’s offer is on the table. If things get too sketchy with the Saints without an experienced agent on hand to review their contract offer, Clowney could very well go with the known quantity in Tennessee.

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Sean Payton, Saints coaches join Jadeveon Clowney for private dinner

Sean Payton and two New Orleans Saints coaches reportedly joined Jadeveon Clowney for a private dinner catered by Clowney’s personal chef.

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It was reported earlier on Friday that the New Orleans Saints were sending a member of their coaching staff to meet personally with free agent pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney, but it appears that plans developed. Saints coach Sean Payton was joined by two assistants for dinner with Clowney in Texas, catered by Clowney’s personal chef.

That’s a heck of a recruiting pitch, driving home just how badly the Saints want Clowney to be part of their team. They have a lot overcome between some difficult salary cap maneuvering and their top rival for Clowney’s services as a free agent — the Tennessee Titans, who have more salary cap space and a tight connection to Clowney in Mike Vrabel, who was Clowney’s position coach and defensive coordinator with the Houston Texans.

And this is somewhat-familiar territory for Saints fans. It isn’t the first time Payton has tried to wine and dine a splashy free agent; in 2017, he and Ndamukong Suh had a long discussion over breakfast in New Orleans, only for Suh to choose the Los Angeles Rams instead.

But it’s still great to see how committed the Saints are to seeing this through. Time will tell if their efforts paid off.

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Im just really trying to make it more than what it is! Cause everybody dies but not everybody lives🙌🏾 – @champagnepapi • Major shoutout to my client @clowney__90 for the opportunity to cook for Sean Payton and two additional New Orleans Saints coaches. They were going out to dinner but he suggested His Chef prepare dinner for them🙏🏾 • They absolutely loved EVERYTHING🥰 . #creole #privatechef #northshoreeats #bookwithme #nolacatering #louisianacatering #porkfreemenuoptions #atasteofchefash #nolacaterer #slidelllouisiana #cajunfood #trusttheprocess #thechefashexperience #flymeout #travelingchef #foodporn #nflchef #nbachef #celebritychef #personalchef #texas #houston #pearland #katytx #protrusted #jadeveonclowney #seanpayton #neworleanssaintsfootball

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Is Masvidal vs. Diaz 2 the right call? | Twitter Mailbag – Sept. 4, 2020

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The MMA Junkie Twitter Mailbag hosted by Nolan King returns and topics include is Masvidal vs. Diaz 2 the fight we all want to see, and is Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko ripe for a superfight?

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