It looked like the New Orleans Saints had a deal done with offensive lineman Nick Easton, but the NFL had other plans.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the NFL has rejected Easton's four-year, $24 million contract he signed with the Saints earlier this week. However, this does not mean that Easton won't still join New Orleans, as Rapoport adds that this could be procedural and may also need a “quick tweak.”
Easton spent the 2018 campaign with the Minnesota Vikings, making 12 starts and playing both center and guard.
The 26-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Harvard, went undrafted but signed with the Baltimore Ravens in May 2015. Shortly before the 2015 campaign began, the Ravens traded Easton to the San Francisco 49ers, receiving a conditional seventh-round draft pick in return.
But, Easton did not play at all with the 49ers that season and ultimately ended up joining the Vikings for 2016.
The Lenoir, N.C. native appeared in 11 contests for Minnesota in 2016, making five starts, with all of them coming at center.
The Saints won 13 games this past season and not only captured the NFC South division title but also locked up the best record in the NFL. After a first-round bye, New Orleans went on to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round of the playoffs but then suffered a devastating and controversial overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game a week later.
That marked New Orleans' second consecutive gut-wrenching playoff loss, as the Saints lost to the Vikings in the final seconds of their Divisional Round matchup a year prior.
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