Even with a lockout looking almost certain, teams are still making moves. Take, for example, the New Orleans Saints, who added one player and re-signed another – all in about an hour’s time.
According to NFL.com, the Saints have signed defensive lineman Shaun Rogers to a one-year contract worth about $4 million. Also, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the team re-signed kicker Garrett Hartley to a five-year extension. The terms of that deal are currently unknown.
Rogers, the former Cleveland Brown, reportedly turned down an undisclosed team that was offering roughly $6 million to sign with New Orleans. He had previously visited with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Washington Redskins before settling on the Big Easy, which was presumably at the top of his wish list.
A three-time Pro Bowler, Rogers is coming off of a bad 2010 season in which he only recorded 17 tackles and two sacks. Despite the fact that the Browns defense wasn’t exactly elite, Rogers didn’t have the same motor and wasn’t the same disruptive force as in year’s past. For that, Cleveland dumped him shortly after the season came to a conclusion. He will now join a much more talented defense group in ‘Nawlins and, with a coordinator like Gregg Williams, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him bounce back strong in 2011.
Hartley, who was set to become a restricted free agent, will officially sign on Wednesday. Although he’s battled recent inconsistency, which caused New Orleans to look for a possible replacement, the team must feel those woes are a thing of the past and Hartley is the best long-term option. He was deactivated for two games last season in favor of John Carney, but eventually reclaimed his job — this time for good. A key factor in the Saints’ 2009 Super Bowl run, Hartley has made 42 field goals in three seasons, good for a rock-solid 85.7% mark.
