Saints are working on re-structured deal with Will Smith
 

Yahoo's Jason Cole reports that the Saints are working to restructure RE Will Smith's contract ahead of the start of free agency.

Smith is owed a $1 million roster bonus on March 27 and carries a $10.15M cap number, according to The Sideline View's Adam Caplan. By moving money around and guaranteeing some of Smith's base salary, the Saints could save $5 million to $6 million. Per Cole, the reworked contract "could be done today."

Source: Yahoo Sports


https://twitter.com/#!/JasonColeYahoo

Also this:

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...iths-contract/

That's good news, it would be a shame to see him cut.

there u go , loomis at work

Nice. This is all part of the deal. Geaux Loomis! ****in genius!

This is just part of the "behind the scenes" groundwork that needs to take place before Drew's deal gets done. It looks as if Loomis is making a play to keep all three of the big FA's.

this is good news. If he wont restructure, it could be time for
new blood.

Lets also hope the Saints continue to find more "Colstons" and
"Pierre Thomas's" under rocks.

Will has to know he is getting paid much more than he is procducing. If he does get released, it's not like another team or teams are out there chomping at the bit to get Will Smith. If he wants to play here.... he needs to restructure.

Mike, I think we will continue to find those diamonds.

This tells me where we are going in the draft,and get to see if he can at least play up to this money. Lord help us if he can't!!

good for both sides- insurance for Smith, cap space for Saints

Anyone see the other Cole tweet? maybe we can kick the tires on Dan Morgan. Again

Great Idea

Someone said it on another thread, Smith is good, but not 8 million good.
I wonder how long the FA list of hopefuls is.
Spagniola/Payton/Loomis are already numbering their chart if things fall through.
Every FA in the league knows we'll be in the hunt...AGAIN...and the prospect
of being a part of that is huge and may appeal to many able bodied vets who's
championship chances are slipping fast.

Smith is a good guy but way off production wise. I don't think his ego will take it because if I was doing this deal it would be a little upfront money with everything on the rear end. If he does not iimprove then he gets cut. Personally I do not see him making much of a change unless we can really get an interior rush to draw attention from him. I do not see him as a dominate player for his position and the only way he can make an impact is by getting that help.

About time we get of our butts and start doing something.

The whole D front needs to look at restructuring with bonuses for production after last years lack of, prove you deserve your money.

Well, please give me a name of a DE who can alone be dominate in this league?

Even Jarred Allen couldn't do much if it weren't for the push Kevin Williams provides from the interior and the alternate pass rush Robison was able to create from the other DE position.

No one player can do it alone, but Smith has the tools to be as productive as f.e. Abraham has been for the Failclowns that is if he can play as a part of a front 4 unit that is able to push O-lines around.

He has never struck me as a guy with a big ego, more so a quiet leader and a family man, who deservedly got payed his fair share on the heels of Charles Grants' huge mistake of a contract.

This will help the Saints out big time by re-structuring his contract.

deja vu- Grant contract costs us money with Smith, as will Evans -> Nicks

Who would have ever believed this would be posted on a Saints web site?
We've come a long way since the bags. :bng: Who Dat baby!

Kicking Morgan's tires could result in another concussion.

This is sounding like a great Win-Win situation. Smith gets to stay & compete for another championship, and money gets freed up to attempt to get the big three FA's under contract. Anxiously awaiting follow-up reports this weekend.

agreed. sorry if my sarcasm didn't come through in the initial post

next up...JV

That'll be the money for Nicks' franchise tag...

Need to rework Devery, Harper, next

JP do you really think Harper is going to renegotiate? He just reworked his contract and played reasonably well. Loomis might be able to do it but other players deserve to take a pay cut more.

Keeping Smith for less money sounds like a good deal. Could some money be moved to incentives?

He's not taking less money, he's restructuring it so that it doesn't create a huge cap hit, but rather spreads it out more evenly.

He's still overpaid, just now he's more balanced in his overpayedness.

Also, I don't know if they are adding the last year to his contract, because under the former contract it was an optional year.

Did you write speeches for a former president? ;)

This is now one of my favorite lines...

Kidding aside, agreed that he's overpaid for the production - too bad you can't have a standardized, league-wide incentive package that would be separate from the capped-pool; that way guys are getting paid AS they produced rather than for what they've done in the past...