NFLPA ratifies new CBA in narrow vote; how Saints are affected

The New Orleans Saints and every NFL team are affected by the NFL Players Association vote to approve a new collective bargaining agreement.

The NFL Players Association voted to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement on Saturday night, with the final tally clocking in at 1,019 votes for approval against 959 votes to decline — a margin of just 60 votes, or about 2% of union membership. Because this CBA proposal was already confirmed by NFL ownership, it will go into effect immediately and is expected to run through the next decade. And it’s introducing many new changes and challenges for every team, including the New Orleans Saints.

First and foremost: the new CBA removes the one-year 30% rule, which would have severely hamstrung the Saints’ usual contract structure strategies. Now that the 30% rule is abolished, the Saints can finalize contract extensions with pending free agents like Drew Brees — who may be up for accepting another below-market deal. They will also begin to negotiate in earnest with the rest of their 27 players set to test the open market.

Minimum salaries will be given a pay raise, and the NFL salary cap is expected to rise dramatically in future offseasons. Rosters will increase from 53 players to 55, and require just five inactive players on game days. Practice squads will also grow to 12 members per team.

Beyond those immediate concerns: the NFL regular season will be extended to 17 games, with just three preseason exhibition games, no sooner than the 2021 season. The playoffs will also be expanded with seven teams representing each conference, and just the top-seeded team earning a first-round bye week.

So how will the Saints respond to this? We might finally see some movement from them in regards to re-signing their own players, especially with the start of the new league year around the corner. But Saints coach Sean Payton anticipates that date to be moved back in response to the coronavirus spreading nationally, though the NFL has not yet made a decision. So check back soon for updates.

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2020 NFL Draft: Updated Saints selections after compensatory picks reveal

The New Orleans Saints learned when each of their selections in the 2020 NFL Draft will take place, after compensatory picks were announced.

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We knew that the New Orleans Saints would only have five picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, even once compensatory selections were awarded. That’s because the Saints have been too aggressive in spending on the open market to even qualify. But now that those extra picks have been announced, we know exactly when and where the Saints will make their pick in each round of April’s draft (at least until an inevitable trade up or two). Here’s where things stand on the cusp of free agency:

  • Round 1, No. 24
  • Round 3, No. 88
  • Round 4, No. 130
  • Round 5, No. 169
  • Round 6, No. 203

The Saints lack their second- and seventh-round picks after trades that netted players like Erik McCoy, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Eli Apple, but fans shouldn’t sweat it. The team certainly won’t be worried, with Saints coach Sean Payton joking that they could easily turn five picks into six selections with a trade. That would fly in the face of precedent — the Saints have traded up in every draft Payton has managed, and only traded down twice, in his first few years on the job — but it would be a welcome change of pace given the state of the team.

The Saints have many veteran players headed for free agency, and they won’t be able to re-sign every one of them. They need to begin replenishing the roster with cheap, younger talent before it’s too late. The 2020 free agent class especially looks like a pivot-point in which the Saints might set themselves up to recoup some draft capital through compensatory picks, with at least eight potential qualifiers headed for free agency.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Owning just five of the 256 selections in this year’s draft may not be ideal, but it’s the same position the Saints found themselves in last year, and they managed to land rookie starters like McCoy and Gardner-Johnson, as well as undrafted finds like All-Pro returns ace Deonte Harris and standout defensive linemen Shy Tuttle and Carl Granderson. So long as Jeff Ireland is running the scouting department and Payton is calling the shots on top of draft day, New Orleans football appears to be in good hands.

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Report: Cameron Jordan played final 5 games of 2019 with serious muscle injury

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan told NFL.com’s Michael Silver that he finished the year with an injury that required surgery

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Playing professional football can be hazardous for your health, and it’s a common sentiment around the league that by the end of the year, everyone is dealing with one injury or another. The capacity for pain tolerance is a big factor in deciding one’s chances of success in the NFL, and New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan knows that as well as anyone. It’s why he admitted to NFL.com’s Michael Silver that he finished the 2019 season with a core muscle injury that required surgery two days after Super Bowl LIV.

Jordan told Silver that he tore an adductor muscle off the bone in last year’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers, but gutted out the pain to play 248 snaps in the final five weeks. While Jordan did get opportunities to rest in blowout victories over the Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers, he still played 83.9% or more of defensive snaps in three of those last five contests — and then went on to join his teammates in the Pro Bowl. In total, just three Saints defenders saw more action in 2019 than Jordan (who was in on 876 plays): linebacker Demario Davis (984 snaps), free safety Marcus Williams (949), and cornerback Eli Apple (932).

Jordan’s been an iron man for the Saints ever since he won the starting job, back in 2012. He’s logged 7,626 defensive snaps during that time and never missed a game, with last year’s total being a career-low. While Silver’s report adds that Jordan expects to be fully recovered from offseason surgery by the time Saints training camp begins, it illustrates an important point — the team must take steps to keep him better-rested during the long NFL season, which is poised to only stretch longer with CBA negotiations surrounding a 17th regular season game. Jordan is one of the Saints’ best players, and it’s vital that he be in top form during the year’s biggest games. Maybe the Saints should look into rotating him in and out of the lineup a little more efficiently.

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Saints make in-house promotion to replace Mike Nolan

The New Orleans Saints promoted linebackers coach Michael Hodges to replace Mike Nolan, who joined Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy.

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The New Orleans Saints lost linebackers coach Mike Nolan to the Dallas Cowboys back in January, where he’ll work with new head coach Mike McCarthy as defensive coordinator. While the Saints took their time in making it official, there was little doubt about the direction they’d take in replacing Nolan.

On Monday, The Scouting Academy’s Dan Hatman reported that assistant linebackers coach Michael Hodges was getting promoted to Nolan’s spot. This move was confirmed by independent Saints reporter Nick Underhill and Nola.com’s Amy Just.

It’s been a long time coming. The Athletic’s Katherine Terrell reported that Hodges was running point for the Saints at last month’s Senior Bowl by conducting interviews with linebacker prospects. Hodges has been with the Saints since 2017, climbing the ladder from a defensive assistant post to assistant linebackers coach in 2019, and now he’s running the show at that position group. He has his work cut for him with starters Alex Anzalone and Kiko Alonso returning from injured reserve, but things should be fine with first-team All-Pro linebacker Demario Davis leading the unit.

This change should be the only big shakeup on the Saints coaching staff this offseason. They lost just two coaches in this year’s hiring cycle, with Nolan leaving for Dallas and assistant defensive backs coach Leigh Torrence joining the New York Jets. With a largely-intact coaching staff and a talent-rich roster, the Saints are clearly expecting to run it back again in 2020.

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Saints assistant coach Leigh Torrence leaves for job with Jets DC Gregg Williams

New Orleans Saints assistant coach Leigh Torrence joined the New York Jets for a job with Gregg Williams, his old defensive coordinator.

The New York Jets announced Tuesday that they hired Leigh Torrence for their vacant assistant defensive backs coach job, creating another hole on the New Orleans Saints coaching staff; the Saints have yet to name a replacement for linebackers coach Mike Nolan, who left for the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator gig back in early January.

Torrence was first hired by the Saints as a coach back in 2016, when he joined their staff as a coaching intern. He was promoted to a defensive assistant coaching position in 2017, and held it through 2019. Before that, he played three years for the Saints from 2009 to 2011. He appeared in more games for the Saints (38) than any other team, which included stops with the Washington Redskins (25) and Atlanta Falcons (10).

Now, Torrence is reunited with the defensive coordinator he once played for in New Orleans: Gregg Williams. Williams holds the same position with the Jets beneath head coach Adam Gase, and this is a great opportunity for Torrence to continue to advance his career.

But why didn’t he stay with the Saints? There probably wasn’t room for promotion in New Orleans, where defensive backs coach Aaron Glenn has been developed as a key member of their staff. He’s commonly grouped with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen and head coach Sean Payton during games, and has rebuffed offers from both the New York Giants and Cincinnati Bengals in recent years. With Glenn so entrenched, Torrence probably had to consider other opportunities, and the Jets were a logical fit.

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Taysom Hill prepared to leave the Saints if they don’t view him as a franchise QB

Taysom Hill has reiterated that he views himself as a quarterback, and he’s prepared to leave the New Orleans Saints if they disagree.

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What is Taysom Hill’s position? He’ll tell anyone who will listen that it’s quarterback, but more than half his snaps with the New Orleans Saints came on special teams last year. On offense, his time at receiver and tight end dwarfs his action at quarterback. But he elaborated on his stance during an interview with Rob Maaddi of The Associated Press.

“I definitely view myself as a franchise quarterback,” Hill said. “I think as you look at the other questions: is it New Orleans? Is it somewhere else? As you go into free agency, this is the time that you start to find out how people view you. We haven’t gotten into free agency long enough to really know how these guys view me, and we’ll just handle it as it comes.”

While Hill is only a restricted free agent this year (meaning the Saints will have the option to match any contract offers he receives, or keep him around on a low-cost one-year contract tender), he’s obviously casting an eye to the future. And he has to do that. Hill will be 30 when the 2020 season kicks off, and there’s no guarantee that his body will hold up to continued abuse in his current role — four of his five years at BYU ended with injuries. Unlike the 27-year-old Teddy Bridgewater, he doesn’t have the luxury of biding his time on the bench until the perfect opportunity opens up. There’s a very narrow window for Hill to cash out in, and he knows that.

So while he wouldn’t be happy in having to leave the Saints, it’s a reality Hill has already made his peace with: “I have loved every second of my time (in New Orleans). So do I want to leave? The fact of the matter is no, I don’t. But as you look at free agency, you have to find the right opportunity for you. You have to find the situation to take care of your family. I want to play quarterback in this league, and if New Orleans don’t view me that way, well then I have to leave. That’s really where we’re at.”

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Antonio Brown accuses the Saints of pulling a ‘publicity stunt’ with workout

Antonio Brown accused New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton and his staff of hosting a publicity stunt during last week’s free agent workout.

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The New Orleans Saints did not sign Antonio Brown after last week’s workout, and reports suggest they aren’t likely to add him to the team this year. Brown didn’t do much to help his case by logging onto his official Instagram account and lambasting the Saints in a live video, which was recorded and shared by Bleacher Report.

“I appreciate Sean Payton and them guys for supporting me, for bringing me out to work out but I think it was a publicity stunt for them,” Brown said in the video, which was broadcast to his 3.7 million Instagram followers. “Sean Payton knows the film that’s being left behind.”

That doesn’t really pass the smell test. For one thing, why do the Saints want or need the publicity of connecting themselves to Brown? It’s a ridiculous thing for him to suggest, especially given Payton’s notoriously fickle relationship with the media. He’s rare to give interviews or connect himself with reporters, and only shares daily Saints practice reports with local media over conference call. The last thing he wants is extra scrutiny brought down on his organization through an association with Brown.

So this probably doesn’t mean much, unless we’re putting extra weight on the opinions of a social-media obsessed football player who’s gotten himself traded once and cut twice in the last nine months. There’s no doubting Brown’s abilities and past production — and how much he could help the Saints — but this is just an example of the kind of distraction that comes with him.

And when the Saints are so close to a Super Bowl, these are factors that Payton and his staff will consider when deciding whether adding Brown would be worth it. Payton admitted it himself after Brown’s tryout when asked how much the wideout’s social media activity would be evaluated before signing him, saying, “All of that goes into a decision like that. It’s part of the process of bringing a player in.”

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Drew Brees likes Saints’ playoffs odds, whether at home or on the road

New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees isn’t afraid to take his show on the road, citing his team’s high win percentage away from the Superdome.

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The New Orleans Saints have done everything possible to secure a first-round bye week, though it’s still eluded them. Home-field advantage throughout the playoffs is out of their reach after the Green Bay Packers overcame a double-digit deficit to beat the Detroit Lions, but Saints quarterback Drew Brees wants it known that he isn’t afraid to go play on the road.

“I know a lot of people talk about the Superdome, and about us being a dome team, but the bottom line is that over the last 10 years we’ve won more games on the road than everybody but the New England Patriots,” Brees said during his postgame press conference.

That’s quite a stat to pull out of his hat, and Brees isn’t wrong: only the Patriots (57 wins ) outpace the Saints (52) in road wins since 2009, though the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers are close (having each won 51 games). As they’ve proven this season, the Saints can win anywhere in the NFL.

“I think that’s saying something about our teams,” Brees continued, “About how we’re coached. I think it says a lot. This year we were, what, 6-2 at home and 7-1 on the road?”

The Saints have been just as effective on the road as at home in the Superdome; there’s no greater evidence of that than the 38 and 42 points they dropped on the heads of their last two opponents, each of them in cold weather on the road.

Still, Brees hasn’t hung around the NFL this long by not taking things for granted. He knows what it takes to win in a hostile environment, and expects his team to prepare accordingly when the time comes: “Bottom line is each road game presents its challenges. It’s the crowd noise, it’s the conditions, it’s all those things you gauge depending on where you go. You plan for it, and this game is still about energy and execution. And I feel like that’s something we’ve done a great job with everywhere we’ve gone.”

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Packers trail Lions 17-3 at halftime, bodes well for Saints playoff standings

The Green Bay Packers went into halftime with a double-digit deficit against the Detroit Lions, helping the New Orleans Saints playoffs hunt

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Things are off to a great start for the New Orleans Saints in Week 17. They’re set up to go into halftime with a 35-3 lead over the Carolina Panthers, while the Green Bay Packers are stewing over a 17-3 deficit against the Detroit Lions. These situations combine for serious implications for the NFC playoff standings.

If the Saints and Lions both hold onto their leads and win their games, the Saints would clinch a first-round bye in the playoffs, demoting the Packers to the third seed. While that alone won’t guarantee the road to Super Bowl LIV runs through New Orleans, the extra time to rest up would do a lot to help a Saints team managing injuries at multiple important positions — starting defensive backs Vonn Bell, Marcus Williams, and Eli Apple were each inactive against Carolina with various issues.

In order to get the first seed in the NFC, the Saints need the Packers to lose to the Lions while the San Francisco 49ers lose to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night. That would give the Saints and Seahawks first-round byes as the top two seeds, while the Packers would have to host a playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings next week. The wild-card 49ers would have to go on the road to play the NFC East winner, which has yet to be determined.

It’s a lot to keep track of, but we’ve got you covered. Check back later for updates, and keep rooting for the Lions to pull off this upset.

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How Saints can clinch first-round bye week or No. 1 seed in Week 17

The New Orleans Saints have already punched their playoff ticket, but several clinch scenarios depend on the Packers, 49ers, and Seahawks.

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The New Orleans Saints have already punched their ticket for the NFC playoff tournament, but they didn’t get any help from the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night. The Vikings, sunk by an awful performance from franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins, put in a pathetic effort against the Green bay Packers and made New Orleans’ path to a top-two playoff seed (and the bye week it carries) much more difficult.

Winning that first-round bye or securing homefield advantage throughout the playoffs are well within reach for New Orleans, but they’ll need plenty of help. Fortunately, the NFL is here to clear things up. Here are each of the playoff clinch scenarios relevant to the Saints in Week 17.

Saints clinch first-round bye

  1. Saints beat Panthers, and Packers lose/tie Lions OR
  2. Saints beat Panthers, and 49ers lose/tie Seahawks OR
  3. Saints tie Panthers, and Packers lose to Lions OR
  4. Saints tie Panthers, and 49ers lose to Seahawks OR
  5. 49ers lose to Seahawks, and Packers beat or tie Lions

Saints clinch No. 1 seed in NFC

  1. Saints beat Panthers, Packers lose/tie Lions, and 49ers lose/tie Seahawks OR
  2. Saints tie Panthers, Packers lose to Lions, and 49ers lose to Seahawks

Complicated as that all may be, it’s kind of what we expected: the Saints have to beat the Panthers on Sunday to reach their easiest path to the playoffs. After that, things move out of their hands. The Saints don’t need both the Packers and 49ers to trip up and lose in Week 17, either of them doing that is enough to clinch a playoff bye. And that’s really what’s most important, even if homefield advantage would be nice. The Saints have gone 6-1 on the road in 2019, and their road record speaks for itself — they’ve won 17 of their last 24 away games, going back to the 2017 season, including 13 of their last 15. New Orleans has built a team that can travel well and beat any team in any venue in the league. But they could sure use an extra week to rest up and prepare before making their playoffs debut.

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