In this regularly updated file throughout the offseason, we’ll add an update each time there’s news on a New Orleans Saints free agent, a new signee, a move to free up cap space or anything else relevant to the Saints’ free-agent plans.
April 18: Saints bring back RB/special-teamer Washington
The Saints have re-signed running back Dwayne Washington to a one-year deal, the team announced on Monday. Washington has been with the Saints since 2018 as a core special teams player and has taken more than 60 percent of the special teams snaps over the last three seasons. He played in 14 games last season.
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April 6: Saints add a tight end
The Saints signed 28-year-old tight end J.P. Holtz, who was last with the Bears in 2021. Holtz played in 13 games for the Bears but hasn’t had much of a role on offense since his rookie season in 2019, taking most of his snaps on special teams.
April 5: Saints cut QB Bortles
The Saints’ release of quarterback Blake Bortles did not come as a surprise after they signed veteran backup Andy Dalton. With Jameis Winston coming back as the starter, Dalton backing him up and Ian Book also on the roster, it was highly unlikely that Bortles would’ve made the roster following training camp if he had stayed that long.
April 4: Saints bring in another D-lineman
The Saints are signing defensive lineman Taco Charlton, according to their social media accounts. Charlton, a 2017 first-round pick by the Cowboys, was most recently with the Steelers. Charlton is among a handful of defensive lineman the Saints have recently added or re-signed, including recent additions such as Kentavius Street and Jaleel Johnson.
Charlton played 11 games for Pittsburgh last year, with 18 total tackles, half a sack and a pass deflection.
April 4: Saints, Eagles strike draft-picks deal
The Eagles and Saints have agreed to trade first-round picks in this year’s draft. The Eagles are sending picks No. 16 and 19 overall and 194 ( a sixth-rounder) to the Saints in exchange for Nos. 18, 101 (third round), 237 (seventh round), a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 second-round pick.
The trade gives New Orleans, which has a new head coach in Dennis Allen heading into the 2022 season, two first-round picks, both higher than their original first-rounder.
April 3: Saints bring back P.J. Williams
The Saints have re-signed defensive back P.J. Williams to a one-year deal for the fourth season in a row. The deal became official Monday.
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Williams, No. 142 on The Athletic’s list of top free agents heading into the offseason, has thrived in a new role since the Saints switched him from cornerback to safety, and he was a key reserve for the Saints last year, starting five games and finishing the season with a career-high three interceptions. This won’t prevent the Saints from continuing to look for a starting safety after the retirement of Malcolm Jenkins, but it’s a key depth signing.
April 2: Saints add a defensive tackle
The Saints have signed Jaleel Johnson to a one-year contract. The deal was made official on Monday.
Johnson was on the Saints’ practice squad in early 2021 before being signed by the Texans. The Saints have already signed a rotational defensive lineman in Kentavius Street and Johnson, who was a full-time starter for the Vikings in 2020, can provide help on the inside. He has 5.5 lifetime sacks and 110 combined career tackles.
March 31: Saints bring back DL Tuttle, OL Lamp
Saints defensive tackle Shy Tuttle signed his restricted free agent tender, meaning he will be back with the Saints on a one-year deal worth $2.433 million. A 2019 undrafted free agent, Tuttle ended up starting 15 games last year after the Saints traded Malcom Brown in the offseason.
Meanwhile, the Saints reportedly are re-signing reserve guard Forrest Lamp, who played five snaps on special teams last season but was a full-season starter for the Chargers in 2020. Lamp signed with the Saints’ practice squad last October and was eventually elevated to the active roster.
March 30: Saints safety Jenkins retires after 13 seasons
Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins is retiring, he announced Wednesday morning. He had one season left on his four-year, $32 million contract, according to Spotrac.
New Orleans snagged Jenkins with the No. 14 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. He played the first five seasons of his career with the team before heading to the Philadelphia Eagles for six seasons, then returning to the Saints for the final two years of his career. Jenkins helped New Orleans to a Super Bowl title in 2009 and Philadelphia to one in 2017.
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Jenkins, 34, earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2015 and made the Pro Bowl in 2015, 2017 and 2018. He racked up 1,044 tackles, 13.5 sacks, 21 interceptions, 20 forced fumbles and eight defensive touchdowns in his career.
March 29: Saints add veteran Dalton to serve as backup QB
The Saints are signing former Bears quarterback Andy Dalton to a one-year deal, a source confirmed to The Athletic. The deal is reportedly worth a maximum of $6 million, with $3 million in guaranteed money.
Dalton, 34, played in eight games for Chicago last season and went 3-3 in his six starts. He completed 63.1 percent of his passes for 1,515 yards, eight touchdowns and nine interceptions in those games. He suffered a knee injury early in the season, which led to rookie Justin Fields being named the permanent starter.
Prior to joining the Bears, Dalton spent a season with the Dallas Cowboys and nine years as a starter with the Bengals, with whom he posted a 70-61-2 record.
Saints add veteran QB Andy Dalton to serve as Jameis Winston’s backup
via @TheAthletic https://t.co/h8DJU8WnxA
— Katherine Terrell (@Kat_Terrell) March 29, 2022
March 28: Saints re-sign WR Smith
The Saints have re-signed receiver Tre’Quan Smith to a two-year, $6 million contract, which includes $2 million guaranteed and incentives that can earn him an additional $4.5 million.
Smith was drafted by the Saints in the third round of the 2018 draft and has started 29 of his 51 career games with the team. He had 32 catches (on 50 targets) in 2021 for 377 yards and 3 touchdowns. He’ll add to the Saints’ now-shallow depth at receiver.
March 25: Saints sign veteran safety
The Saints have signed former Chiefs safety Daniel Sorensen. He received a base salary at the veteran’s minimum for someone with his experience, $1.12 million, as well as a $152,500 signing bonus. Of the $1.27 million, only $500,000 is guaranteed.
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Sorensen, 32, spent his first eight seasons with the Chiefs. The BYU product played in 111 games during that span, with 18 of his 39 starts coming the past two seasons. He has returned four of his 12 career interceptions for touchdowns.
March 24: Former Saints QB Siemian signs with Bears
The Bears have signed quarterback Trevor Siemian to a two-year contract. Siemian stepped in following Jameis Winston’s ACL tear last season but went 0-4 as a starter for the Saints. He is expected to battle Nick Foles and Siemian for the backup job behind Justin Fields.
March 22: Longtime Saint Armstead headed to Miami
The Dolphins have agreed to terms with former Saints tackle Terron Armstead, he announced on social media. The deal is for five years and $75 million. It is worth up to $87.5 million and includes $43.37 million guaranteed, a source confirmed to The Athletic.
Armstead, the Saints’ 2013 third-round pick, became New Orleans’ starting left tackle late in his rookie season and remained the starter the rest of his Saints career. The 30-year-old has been one of the best tackles in the league during his career, earning three Pro Bowl nods. He has missed at least six games in four of the last six seasons with various ailments and played only eight games in 2021.
March 20: Jameis back at QB on two-year deal
The Saints are re-signing quarterback Jameis Winston to a two-year deal, a source told The Athletic. According to the NFL Network, Winston will get $21 million guaranteed with the new deal.
Winston clearly wasn’t the Saints’ first choice at quarterback after they spent a week trying to trade for former Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, but there’s a comfort level with Winston after he started seven games for them last season. Winston made the most sense from a familiarity and financial standpoint, and it appears he’s heading into this season as the presumed starter after competing with Taysom Hill for the job last season. However, the fact that they signed him for just two years makes it seem like the team isn’t set on committing to him long term.
Sheil Kapadia’s signing grade: C-
Saints hand the reins back to QB Jameis Winston, who agrees to a two-year deal. @TheAthletic https://t.co/K8GnnfGiox
— Katherine Terrell (@Kat_Terrell) March 21, 2022
March 18: Saints nab DT Street from Niners
The Saints agreed to terms with defensive tackle Kentavius Street on Friday. He was a restricted free agent with San Francisco, but the 49ers didn’t tender him. A fourth-round pick in the 2018 draft, Street in all 17 games last season, starting two of them. He finished with 27 tackles (6 tackles for loss) and three sacks while playing 32 percent of the team’s defensive snaps.
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March 18: QB Watson headed to Cleveland
Former Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has been traded to the Browns for three first-round picks and a third- and fourth-rounder, sources confirmed to The Athletic. The Browns will also get a fifth-round pick back, per source. The move is a stunning reversal from earlier this week, when the Browns were reportedly ruled out of the running. Watson’s decision was thought to be narrowed down to the Saints and Falcons.
Deshaun Watson is a Brown, and the Saints are left scrambling at QB
via @TheAthletic https://t.co/SJkbGVtGHx
— Katherine Terrell (@Kat_Terrell) March 18, 2022
March 17: Four Saints veterans have contracts adjusted
The Saints have restructured the contracts of QB Taysom Hill and LB DeMario Davis, while CB Bradley Roby and S Malcolm Jenkins officially took paycuts. The team now has $29.9 million in cap space.
March 16: Saints place tender on Tuttle
The Saints placed a right of first refusal tender on defensive tackle Shy Tuttle, according to ESPN. That comes at a one-year price tag of $2.433 million. Tuttle, an undrafted free agent signee in 2019, was a rotational lineman for the Saints before starting 15 games last year next to David Onyemata in the middle, playing 44 percent of the defensive snaps. The 26-year-old Tuttle made about $850,000 in the final year of his deal.
This deal allows the Saints to match any offer sheet made by another team in free agency, but they will not get compensation if Tuttle signs elsewhere.
March 16: Onyemata and Hurst have contracts restructured
According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the Saints have freed up $7.015M by reworking the contracts of DT David Onyemata and OT James Hurst.
March 15: Saints add Maye
The Saints have agreed to terms with former Jets safety Marcus Maye on a three-year, $28.5 million deal, which includes $15 million guaranteed, according to a source.
Maye, 29, received the franchise tag from the Jets in 2021 but sustained a season-ending Achilles injury in November. He finished with 46 tackles, one sack and two pass deflections.
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Kapadia’s signing grade: C
Saints sign former Jets safety Marcus Maye to replace Marcus Williams https://t.co/5gWAwOyTrL
— Katherine Terrell (@Kat_Terrell) March 16, 2022
March 15: CB Roby signs extension
The Saints and CB Bradley Roby have agreed to terms on a contract extension, according to multiple reports.
The Saints sent a 2022 third round pick and a 2023 conditional pick to the Texans in September for Roby after injuries and attrition left their cornerback room bare. However, the Saints ended up starting rookie Paulson Adebo and he would go on to start the rest of the season. Roby ended up playing in 14 games but starting only one, playing 42 percent of the defensive snaps compared to Adebo’s 76 percent.
March 15: Davenport has contract restructured; Saints cap-compliant
According to ESPN, the Saints restructured the contract of defensive end Marcus Davenport, who was playing on his fifth-year option of $9.553 million. Davenport previously already had void years built into his contract.
This would save the team $6.8144 million in cap space and, along with Marshon Lattimore’s recent restructure, make them cap–compliant ahead of the new league year.
March 15: Safety Williams agrees to terms with Ravens
The Saints lost their first major free agent of the offseason with safety Marcus Williams agreeing to a five-year, $70 million deal with the Ravens. The Saints were willing to let Williams test the market after declining to franchise-tag him for the second time, which would have come at a cost of $12.7 million for the year, and it didn’t seem likely they were willing to come close to the $14 million per year he’s set to receive.
This leaves the Saints looking for options at safety, although it’s not an unexpected loss. The 25-year-old Williams started five seasons at free safety and had 15 career interceptions.
• Zrebiec: Ravens get on board in a big way, landing standout free safety
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March 14: Saints place second-round tender on Harty
The Sainted placed a second-round tender on restricted free agent Deonte Harty (formerly Harris) on Monday afternoon, which comes with a price of $3.986 million. Both sides have expressed interest in getting a deal done. The 2019 undrafted free agent was an All-Pro kick returner as a rookie.
March 14: Saints free agency preview
Before free agency kicked into high gear, Kat Terrell looked at what the Saints could do to get under the cap, which of their own free agents they might retain and more.
Saints 2022 free agency primer (10 minute countdown!!): Will the Saints make a big trade for a QB? https://t.co/Mc9F9G788S
— Katherine Terrell (@Kat_Terrell) March 14, 2022
(Photo of Dwayne Washington: Stephen Lew / USA Today)
