The Florida Times-Union's Gene Frenette expects the Jaguars to sign a free agent wide receiver from a group including Pierre Garcon, Marques Colston, and "somebody else."
The Jags have plenty of room under the cap, a new owner willing to spend, and a wide receiver corps desperately in need of an upgrade. Garcon and Colston would both take a severe fantasy hit with Blaine Gabbert throwing errant passes in their direction. Frenette adds that Mario Williams will be a "litmus test" for Shad Kahn's "willingness to spend big."
Saints assigned the exclusive-rights franchise tag to QB Drew Brees.
The "exclusive-rights" tag means Brees cannot talk with other teams, and also guarantees roughly $1 million more than the standard franchise tag. The Saints' continued inability to sign Brees to a long-term deal means premier free agent LG Carl Nicks will now almost certainly walk in free agency, while Marques Colston likely won't be far behind. The Saints still have until July 16 to work out a long-term accord with their record-breaking quarterback, but recent reports have pegged the two sides as much as $5 million a year apart. With talks moving at a snail's pace since last August, there's little reason to believe a breakthrough is on the horizon.
A team source tells the New Orleans Times-Picayune Saints GM Mickey Loomis "has not missed a beat on his GM duties" despite the team's bounty scandal.
"The bounty stuff was not out of nowhere," the source said. "We knew about this and have cooperated and been involved in helping the league for years." The Saints are facing one of the league's most difficult franchise-tag quandaries as they attempt to lock up Drew Brees with a long-term deal so they can tag LG Carl Nicks or Marques Colston ahead of Monday's deadline. The odds are slim Brees' deal will be wrapped up by Monday, but they would have been none if Loomis was detained by "Bounty-gate" business this weekend.
The Washington Post reports the Redskins are "making plans" to sign a "high-profile" free agent wide receiver in March.
The Redskins no longer have a single proven receiver who can separate from top corners and make plays after the catch. The team plans to address the position via free agency as opposed to the draft. Vincent Jackson and Pierre Garcon are considered the top targets, though Marques Colston is another option if he escapes New Orleans. Reggie Wayne would only be courted as part of a package deal with Peyton Manning.
A source with knowledge of the situation tells Profootballtalk.com long-term contract talks between the Saints and Drew Brees remain ongoing.
The two sides still don't appear to be on the verge of a breakthrough in talks that began last August, but will continue working towards one ahead of Monday's deadline to use the franchise tag. Although Brees would surely like to avoid the tag, there's more pressure on the Saints to get a deal done so one of LG Carl Nicks and Marques Colston can be tagged.
Free agent Drew Brees confirmed that his "No. 1 priority" this offseason is "keeping our team together."
"I'm not worried one bit about my contract or our ability to keep key guys at key positions," said Brees. It's another sign that Brees is willing to re-sign at a team-friendly rate to help keep key free agents in New Orleans. He went to bat for Lance Moore last summer and will likely to do the same for Marques Colston this year.
According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Drew Brees "doesn't want or expect" his new contract to prevent the Saints from re-signing other key free agents.
It's a hint Brees is willing to structure his deal in a team-friendly manner. Considering how long talks have dragged on, however, it's doubtful he's amenable to taking much of a "hometown discount." A speedy resolution to the situation would greatly enhance the Saints' chances of keeping fellow free agent Marques Colston, but LG Carl Nicks is doubtful to return under any circumstance.
Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans Times-Picayune expects the Saints to franchise tag impending free agent Drew Brees.
Behind Brees, Duncan expects New Orleans' top-three free agent priorities to be LG Carl Nicks, WR Marques Colston, and CB Tracy Porter. In an "ideal" scenario, the Saints would extend Brees and Colston, and slap the tag on Nicks. The team's failure to extend Brees during the season, however, could very well lead to him getting the tag and either Colston or Nicks walking.
Coach Sean Payton will make a decision later in the week on playing time for his starters in the season finale.
New Orleans still has a shot at a first-round bye, but only if the Niners lose. We would expect Payton to at least have his starters on the field for the first quarter. The Saints-Panthers and 49ers-Rams both square off at 1:00 p.m. ET, so Payton may have to wait until after halftime to make playing-time adjustments.
Tue, Dec 27, 2011 02:23:00 PM
Lance Moore played just 26 snaps in Sunday's win over the Colts, fewest among Saints' wideouts.
Marques Colston (42) led the way, followed by Robert Meachem (39) and Devery Henderson (38). The Saints are using fewer three-wide packages than normal, lining up in that set just six times on their first 27 plays. And with Jimmy Graham eating up targets, Moore has gotten lost. Over the last four games, he has a grand total of 13 catches for 170 yards and no touchdowns.
Tue, Oct 25, 2011 01:08:00 PM
The Saints have ruled out Lance Moore (groin) for Thursday night's NFL opener against the Packers.
The Saints won't even test out Moore's groin in pre-game warmups; he won't play. Marques Colston, Robert Meachem, and Devery Henderson will be the Saints' top three wide receivers against the Packers. It's worth noting that Moore did not play in New Orleans' third preseason game, when Saints starters were in for most of the first half. Jimmy Graham lapped the field with eight targets and a team-high five catches for 73 yards. Meachem was a distant second option, finishing with three catches for 61 yards on four targets. Be sure to have Graham in your starting lineup Thursday night.
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 04:03:00 PM
The Saints are expected to run a "more conventional" rushing attack this season with Mark Ingram as the "bell cow."
Ingram is a classic back with workhorse potential and a solid all-around game. After speaking to league sources, Yahoo's Jason Cole projects that the Saints' ground attack will mirror more closely the team's 2009 rushing offense as opposed to other years. New Orleans ranked No. 7 in rushing attempts that season. They were 30th in 2010, 26th in 2008, and 26th in 2007. If the Saints play offense as planned, their pass attempts will also be down.
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 02:19:00 PM
