Gauging the Flight Risk for New Orleans Saints' 2012 Free Agents

After Friday's BountyGate revelation and hitting quarterback Drew Brees with the franchise tag on Saturday, the Saints will look to lock up the rest of their primary free agents. The question is now, how will the bounty situation play out with current Saints free agents? Will that sway players such as Carl Nicks, Marques Colston, etc., to sign away from the team with suspensions looming?

I take a look at the flight risks for the primary free agents on the New Orleans Saints, looking into which players are good candidates for first-class tickets out of NOLA and which ones are candidates for setting some roots down in the Big Easy.

There's one thing that's for certain: Who Dat Nation won't have all of these guys back.   

High Level: Marques Colston

Marques Colston has been the Saints' primary receiver five out of the six years that he's been in New Orleans. He is atop Saints receiving records, either alone or tied with Joe Horn. He has a high percentage of his receptions going for first downs. He will go down as one of the best receivers in Saints history, right along Horn, Eric Martin and Danny Abramowicz.

With that said, Colston wants top-tier money, and let's face it, he is not getting a $7 million-a-year deal down in N'awlins. He's not worth that kind of money in this offense and has already said that he will not take a hometown discount.

From what I've seen the last couple years, Colston's play has dipped; not his numbers mind you, his play. As much as he picks up first downs, the Hofstra product also has been dropping balls in clutch situations. The ones that used to be routine. He was probably the third most reliable receiver last year, behind Jimmy Graham and Darren Sproles.

That's why he's not getting that kind of money here, and that's why his flight risk is high! His bags are packed. Now it's time to pick a location. 

Medium Level: Carl Nicks

Carl Nicks is 1A to Drew Brees' 1 when it comes to free agent importance. Nicks has turned into the best guard in the game. He happens to be on the team of the man who he unseated for that position, Jahri Evans.

Evans got a record deal back in 2010—seven years, $56.7 million—and Nicks wants something in that ballpark. Let's face it, he deserves it.

In the Saints offense, the interior linemen are they key to providing Brees with throwing lanes. They are more important because of Brees' height, and the fact that most of New Orleans' pass-offense is run through TE's and RB's.

He is on the fence at this point. He has said he wants to come back, but has not received an offer yet from the Saints front office. After the tagging of Brees on Saturday, maybe the offers will start to flow in, but he's not holding his breath.

Neither are the teams out there that need him, not named the Saints. 

High Level: Tracy Porter

Tracy Porter is a fan favorite and will go down in Saints history for his interception of Peyton Manning in Super Bowl XLIV. That doesn't mean he's worth the $8 million-a-year deal he's been trying to get. He will not get No. 1 CB money. He is as talented as a No. 1 CB, but is just too injury-prone to get that kind of deal.

Porter has improved every year and really took off with the arrival of Gregg Williams in 2009. Was he also one of the players accused in this bounty situation? Could he be suspended? 

As much as he knows that he won't get the mega deal he wants with New Orleans, the injury and bounty questions will haunt him in trying to get anything that high anywhere else. You never know, though, he could be "stuck" back in NOLA after all's said and done.

Medium Level: Robert Meachem

Robert Meachem, when healthy, is one hell of a playmaker and has the tendency to always be open in the middle of the field with no one around him. He could go either way in free agency, but with recent events, there's no telling.

Meachem is a player that could benefit the most from Brees being tagged and Will Smith restructuring his deal. He is way too inconsistent with dropping balls to command a No. 1 WR-type of deal. He also is very injury-prone. 

Since being the Saints' first-round pick in 2007, Meachem has showed glimpses of greatness and the ability to break out a big play here or there. But his promise never met his production. He looks like another one-year wonder from the University of Tennessee that the Saints took in the first round in 2003, Donte' Stallworth.