The New Orleans Saints are on the verge of making a big splash. The Saints are “close to a deal” that would bring tight end Jared Cook to the Big Easy; a source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.
Cook is one of the biggest name free agents left available and would fill a huge need for the Saints. Ever since Jimmy Graham was traded, the Saints haven't had much at tight end. Their acquisition of Coby Fleener never panned out, and they got pretty much nothing from the position last year.
Benjamin Watson retired at the end of last season, leaving them with even less depth at tight end. Cook was one of the best tight ends in the league last year, having a surprisingly strong season with the Raiders. He ended up reeling in 68 passes for 896 yards and six touchdowns. He set a new career high in all three categories and was the Raiders' only consistent weapon on offense most of the year.
No terms of the potential deal were immediately available, and it will be very interesting to see what Cook got. Coming off his strong year he is looking to cash in, but the Saints don't have a ton of cap space to work with. Still, it's fair to assume he's being paid handsomely.
Behind Michael Thomas, the Saints were sorely lacking consistent receiving threats last year. Cook will be a nice weapon for Drew Brees over the middle, and Sean Payton will surely be able to get the best out of him. Cook has been around for a long time, but he's still only 31 and should at least have another couple of years of strong play in him.
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