Let's get bold with the New Orleans Saints, shall we? What would make a wild 2021 offseason for the defending NFC South champions? Certainly, the 2020 season didn't end as many anticipated, with the Saints falling to Tom Brady and the “Tompa” Bay Buccaneers in the opening round of the 2021 playoffs.
This is a team with an ever-tightening window for another Super Bowl. Questions about quarterback Drew Brees and his lengthy career loom with each passing minute. Is there enough cash to make any sort of splash in the offseason?
And most importantly, how do the Saints stay relevant in a tough division, with Atlanta looking to rise, the Bucs belly-laughing as world champions, and the Carolina Panthers growing under Matt Rhule and former Saints QB Teddy Bridgewater?
Taysom Hill, the Swiss Army Knife, learns how to punt
With the Saints tackling fiscal responsibility because of the trimmed salary cap, longtime punter and beloved New Orleans resident Thomas Morstead was one of those released in the first round of cuts by the team brass.
Morstead, naturally, was emotional about the decision — but stated he and his family will be firmly rooted in New Orleans, no matter where his next professional stop may be.
That being said, look for Morstead to start giving punting lessons to do-it-all footballer Taysom Hill, who's already thrown, caught, and rushed for touchdowns in his four-year career with the Saints.
What is stopping him from booting kicks?
Imagine this: it's fourth-down inside the opponent's 40-yard-line, and less than eight minutes left in the third quarter. The Saints are down 20-17 on the road to division-rival Atlanta. Hill has already connected on two coffin corner punts to inside the Falcons' 15. On this particular snap, however, Hill drops back and hesitates before lobbing a perfect pass to the gunner for a pivotal first down. The Saints, at worst, get a long field goal from the automatic Wil Lutz, and at best end up driving for a lead-grabbing touchdown.
The world is Hill's playground. Taysom-a-deese.
Saints re-sign DE Trey Hendrickson
Hendrickson surprised virtually everyone in 2020 when he exploded for 13.5 sacks — good for second-best in the NFL.
Alongside a line that included DE Cameron Jordan and DT Sheldon Rankins, the fifth-year pro selected in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft is now in line for a major payday: one that could land him nearly $30 million-plus over the next three years.
Despite the salary-cap issue pervading the league, Hendrickson hasn't been at the tip of many analyst's tongues as someone headed out of “The Big Easy.” Can the Saints work some voodoo to keep a young piece on this defense? It won't be simple. He's an unrestricted free agent who is going to want to get paid what he's worth, as anyone should.
But will he look just as good on another defensive line? Not as good as he does on the Black-and-Gold line.
“[Hendrickson] is going to be an attractive free agent for anyone. Certainly we want him back.”
— Saints GM Mickey Loomis, to nola.com
Bring him back, and the Saints can continue to hound the likes of Brady, Bridgewater, and Matty “Ice” Ryan for divisional dominance.
Peyton procures prolific pass-catcher
There's no way Sean Payton doesn't go an off-season without snagging someone who can help contribute to his high-octane offense. He needs new toys to unleash on opposing defenses, and with veteran slot receiver Emmanuel Sanders off to free agency as a salary-cap casualty, the Saints will be in the market for a high-class wide receiver to pair alongside football magnet Michael Thomas and high-usage running back Alvin Kamara.
Yahoo.com's Frank Schwab has 13 available pass-catchers among his top 20 free agents, including:
- Antonio Brown, WR (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
- AJ Green, WR (Cincinnati Bengals)
- Rob Gronkowski, TE (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
- TY Hilton, WR (Indianapolis Colts)
- Marvin Jones, WR (Detroit Lions)
- Nelson Agholor, WR (Las Vegas Raiders)
- Jonnu Smith, TE (Tennessee Titans)
- Corey Davis, WR (Tennessee Titans)
- Curtis Samuel, WR (Carolina Panthers)
- Will Fuller V, WR (Houston Texans)
- JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR (Pittsburgh Steelers)
- Hunter Henry, TE (Los Angeles Chargers)
- Kenny Golladay, WR (Detroit Lions)
Among this baker's dozen, Gronkowski seems the least likely to leave the Bay and will almost certainly re-sign with Brady and the boys to chase another champagne supernova.
But if the Saints somehow find a way out of their fiscal fiasco, expect GM Mickey Loomis to land some coveted hands for whomever the starting quarterback will be in 2021 and beyond.
Drew Brees doesn't retire
Fans, faculty, and the football world have been waiting for the inevitability of Drew Brees riding off into the sunset. At the ripe age of 42 years old, and in possession of multiple career passing records, it seems the time has come for the Saints' long-time savior to say goodbye to the Superdome and move on into broadcasting. Or coaching. Or whatever the hell he wants to do.
Without saying a word, Brees sent a major signal of sayonara in early February, when he agreed to cut his 2021 base salary to the veteran's minimum of $1.075 million. It was a clear indicator, at least to many, that he was ready to sign the papers, thank New Orleans, and move on with life.
The problem, however, is Brees hasn't actually said he's retiring. At least, not yet. He's rebuffed the questioning, diverted the topic elsewhere, and avoided making grand conjectures on the future.
It's a perfect mystery that deserves a twist at the end, in which Brees creates an alternate universe where he doesn't hang up the cleats.
Instead, perhaps invigorated by watching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win it all with timeless Tom Brady at the helm, Brees drinks from the same phylactery of youth his future Hall-of-Fame pal possesses. Chasing immortality — and even more untouchable passing records — Brees stays at the veteran minimum (you know, to save that non-existent cap space) and continues to mentor Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill as a starter or cheaper-than-cheap backup.
Not today, Father Time. Not today.
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