New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton is a fan of signing free agents from rival teams, particularly the Carolina Panthers. He’s prioritized Panthers safety Kurt Coleman and linebacker A.J. Klein in the last two years. It makes sense — those are prospects which Payton is familiar with, having played against them frequently in the past. Will that trend continue in 2019?
This is the latest entry in our series surveying the NFL landscape ahead of free agency, moving through the league alphabetically until the March 13 finish line. We’ll continue posting updates daily and twice on Saturdays, so mark your calendars. Here’s who could be leaving Carolina:
Unrestricted free agents
- DE Wes Horton
- DT Kyle Love
- FS Mike Adams
- FS Colin Jones
- K Chandler Catanzaro
- LB David Mayo
- LB Thomas Davis
- LB Ben Jacobs
- OC Ryan Kalil
- OG Amini Silatolu
- OT Chris Clark
- OT Marshall Newhouse
- OT Daryl Williams
- QB Taylor Heinicke
- QB Garrett Gilbert
- RB Fozzy Whittaker
- RB Kenjon Barner
- RB Travaris Cadet
- RB Cameron Artis-Payne
- WR Devin Funchess
Options for the Saints
The biggest name on this list is linebacker Thomas Davis, a face of Carolina’s franchise and someone familiar to the Saints. Davis (6-foot-1, 235-pounds) missed his first four games in 2018 with a PED suspension but still performed admirably, logging 12 tackles for loss or no gain. That trailed just two teammates: standout defensive tackle Kawann Short (18) and linebacker Luke Kuechly (33), who led the entire NFL in this stat. Thomas may be turning 36 in March, but it’s clear that he can still play, and it’s extremely easy to picture him and Demario Davis pairing up to lead the Saints defense and help Alex Anzalone progress towards taking the reins.
Wide receiver Devin Funchess regressed in 2018, missing two games and posting just 549 receiving yards after setting a personal best the year before (840). His touchdown catches dropped to four from a career-best eight in 2017. Funchess (6-foot-4, 225-pounds) will be just 25 years old in May and screams like a Sean Payton reclamation project. It’s easy to picture the detail-oriented finding some consistency in New Orleans and thriving with Drew Brees. The only question is what he’ll command in free agency: Spotrac estimates offers of $8.9 million per year, which feels unlikely at first glance.
.png?w=600)
