New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton confirmed that, to his knowledge, free agent tight end Jared Cook signed his contract with the team, and he’s excited to have him. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network followed up that statement with details on the contract between Cook and the Saints, though he curiously noted that Cook will sign it later on Tuesday. Maybe the time zone difference between Phoenix, where Payton is attending league owners meetings, and New Orleans threw him off.
Either way, Rapoport reported that Cook’s contract is a two-year deal that totals out to $15.5 million, with $8 million guaranteed in the first year. This continues a trend of contracts the Saints have handed out in 2019 that lock a player in just for the upcoming season. The Saints have the ability to tear up this contract and several others in March 2020, should things sour or if they simply need a little more salary cap space.
This is a bit of a bargain for the Saints, who gave Cook a pay raise from his deal with the Raiders while not sacrificing much room against the salary cap. If he continues to play at a high level in the Saints’ pass-happy offense, this contract should end up looking like a big win.
