I’m so grateful for the opportunity to continue my playing career. Thank you Atlanta Falcons I’ll give you everything I have!
I acknowledge that this will pain many of my biggest supporters. All I can say is my love for New Orleans is as strong as ever. #WhoDatForLife pic.twitter.com/uCEDSmYOO3— Thomas Morstead (@thomasmorstead) November 23, 2021
If you can’t beat them, sign them as a free agent once they’ve left their longtime team with grace and having already trained a replacement. That’s the move the Atlanta Falcons made Tuesday in signing fan-favorite New Orleans Saints punter Thomas Morstead, who was let go earlier this year.
“I acknowledge that this will pain many of my biggest supporters,” Morstead wrote from his official Twitter account. “All I can say is my love for New Orleans is as strong as ever.”
It’s a tough break for Saints fans, who have now seen another star player go and sign with their team’s biggest rival — continuing the ignoble history of past greats like legendary kicker Morten Andersen and mercurial receiver Joe Horn. But let’s not be too hard on Morstead. He gave a decade of his life to New Orleans and worked around the clock to endear himself to Saints fans, even preparing Blake Gillikin for the opportunity to replace him.
He has a right to continue looking for work in the NFL. It’s just a shame the Falcons were the team that ended up signing him. And let’s look at he bright side: as the Saints themselves commented on Morstead’s announcement post from the team’s official Instagram account, “I hope the Falcons punt on every drive.”
