Well, that’s not great. The New Orleans Saints made an offer to New England Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins, but the free agent accepted a different deal with the Detroit Lions — reuniting him with his former coach, Matt Patricia.
It’s disappointing that the Saints weren’t able to add Collins to their already-stout defense, but it might be for the best. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Collins joined the Lions on a three-year, $30 million contract with $18 million in guarantees, which was clearly outside New Orleans’ budget for the 30-year-old linebacker.
So for now, the Saints must look to other options to strengthen the second level of their defense. Alex Anzalone and Kiko Alonso are both good players, but they’re each returning from season-ending injuries (so is 2019 draft pick Kaden Elliss, their backup). The only linebackers with clean bills of health in New Orleans are Demario Davis and Craig Robertson, so fans should expect some movement here very soon.
