New Orleans Saints: A Look at the Ups and Downs of Their Offseason

There was a time this offseason when the New Orleans Saints’ grandest issue was trying to finalize a contract extension with free agent wide receiver-to-be Marques Colston.

The team was resigned to slapping QB Drew Brees with the exclusive rights franchise tag, but as the hours waned leading up to the start of the new league year—at which point Colston would be free to sign elsewhere—a collective sweat was dripping from the Saints’ brow, understanding that no deal for Colston could mean the loss of the team’s most productive wideout, coupled with the departure of a top interior protector (Carl Nicks was the odd free agent out). 

But that was a long time ago, and the once-celebrated new deal for Colston—he’ll be a Saint for the next five seasons—is a distant memory clouded by a succession of darker days since.

By now you know the Saints will be without head coach Sean Payton starting in just six days—he’ll sit out for the entirety of the season—and the franchise is sure to feel the reverberations from the fallout of “Bounty Gate” for years to come.

But stepping back from the scandal, if such is even possible, one can look back at the Saints offseason and reasonably assert the team has strung together a handful of productive moves. 

Moreover:

• Drew Brees will play quarterback next season for the Saints: No person has been more responsible for the Saints’ recent success than Brees (although we’ll find out just how much Payton means this upcoming season, too), and although he’s unhappy with the designation, the Saints made him their franchise player, ensuring he’ll take snaps in NO next season.  The next move is to agree to a contract extension, which has become abundantly trickier with the Bounty Gate punishments, but a one-year guarantee of Brees is more than a consolation.
• Marques Colston is back: As mentioned previously, Colston agreed to a five-year deal just moments before he was set to be a free man on the open market.  It was a mutually beneficial transaction, as the Saints could ill afford to lose him, and Colston is best suited in New Orleans’ offense.  In a way, every offensive move the Saints make can be tied back to the effect it has on the Brees extension talks.  Needless to say the quarterback is happier with Colston sticking around.
• Carl Nicks is gone, but Ben Grubbs came to town: The Buccaneers made the offer to Carl Nicks the Saints knew was coming—the one too rich for their blood.  But rather than wallowing in their sorrows, New Orleans swiftly acted to replace Nicks with a veteran in former Ravens’ guard Ben Grubbs.  Depending on your taste, you might argue Grubbs is nearly the player Nicks is, and he came at a far cheaper price (roughly $2 million per year less).  That’s a win.
• New Orleans has a new run stopper: Last offseason, the Saints plugged gaps by signing Shaun Rogers and Aubrayo Franklin to their defensive line.  While neither veteran was a failure, the impact of each fell short of what New Orleans was counting on.  This offseason, with a thin market available, the Saints went out and nabbed Broncos DT Brodrick Bunkley, an impact run defender with age on his side.  For a team that gave up five(!) yards per carry last season, this move makes sense on multiple levels, even if they did pay a steep price.
• Linebacker upgrades: "Bounty Gate" player punishments are yet forthcoming, but one player that figures to have the hammer dropped on him is LB Jonathan Vilma, a central figure in the findings released by the league office.  That may mean a heavy fine or even a suspension.  For that reason, and because Vilma is on the back nine of his career arc, the Saints move to reel in free agent Curtis Lofton was a major catch.  Lofton is a tackling machine who can run like a deer, and he’ll become a favorite of new defensive coordinator (and possible interim head coach) Steve Spagnuolo.  While he doesn’t have the profile or production of Lofton, fellow free agent signee Chris Chamberlain (who played for Spagnuolo in St. Louis) was a shrewd pick up by GM Mickey Loomis. 

We’ll remember the 2012 offseason for the Saints because of the blasphemous actions they took during the 2009-2011 regular seasons.  It was inexcusable, reprehensible and an ugly bruise square on the NFL’s forehead.

The Saints have been punished—with player sanctions soon to follow—and it’s up to them to perform on the field with a shortened stack of chips.  It won't be easy, but the team has done well in free agency to give itself a chance.

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