RaginCajun83

I must be in the minority here but I'm happy to see Scott leave. Since 1994 the Saints have needed an upgrade at outside linebacker, finally they get a chance to do it. He was decent in run support and made a few huge plays about once a season. I just don't understand why people are treating this like the Saints lost Lawerance Taylor. He has been an overachiever for most of his career and now he goes to the Browns, a team where career go to die. Enjoy your 5 wins next year Scott

exile

He was a solid starter though. I was surprised to see his contract in Cleveland be only a $14m/3yr deal though. If the Saints wanted him around certainly they could have matched that.

I salute Fujita for his off the field contributions as much as on the field.

Our defense will look mighty different without Grant and Fujita.

RaginCajun83

Look for it to improve from last year, lets get some new athletic players that are hungry and see what GW can do with them. If I remember back to the summer wasn't Fujita one of the players that was complaining that they were practicing that hard in camp

Tobias-Reiper

.. so you are saying the Saints never had a chance to upgrade a position in 16 years? Was there a rule against it or something?

People are not confusing Fujita with LT, but he was a fan favorite, and as such, people are sad to see him go. He may not be the best LB out there, but he was a solid player for the Saints for 4 years, and very active in his community. You make "overachiever" sound like a bad thing.

He probably is not going to enjoy it much if the Browns indeed win 5 games next season, but I'm sure he'll enjoy the $8 mil. And if the Browns happen to make some noise next year, he'll enjoy knowing he was part yet again of the rebuilding of a franchise.

'Cause the simple man pays the thrills, the bills and the pills that kill

biloxi-indian

Loomis has stated repeatedly, there will be approximately 20-25% player turnover each year.

Fujita leaving brings to mind...Horn, Karney, and even Duece (just to name a few) leaving or not being offered a contract. All good players, community leaders, and people.

The contract the Browns offered Fujita is not something the Saints could not have matched or offered...they have other plans...pure and simple. The problem we fans struggle with is we have no idea what those plans are at this time!!!

IMHO

strato

Yeah its tough to lose one of your favorite players..but life goes on...but i believe we could have kept Scott..as a matter of fact i know we could have...Now if we lose Sharper im really going to be steamed....

biloxi-indian

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton says Scott Fujita departure was purely business | - NOLA.com

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton says Scott Fujita departure was purely business...

Calling Scott Fujita one of his favorite players, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton said Monday the linebacker went to the Cleveland Browns because it was an offer too good to refuse.

Rusty Costanza/The Times-PicayuneNew Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton said Scott Fujita signing with Cleveland is 'business'."In this profession, you know in the end it's an equation," Payton said. "What are you going to do with Jahri Evans and Darren Sharper and Scott Fujita and other players and all of that comes into play at this time of year. How are you going to allocate your dollars?"

Fujita signed a three year contract with the Browns that will reportedly pay him $14 million, with $8 million guaranteed. With various incentives, the contract could be worth as much as $16 million, according to a league source.

The Saints were never in that ballpark, according to people familiar with the situation. Payton did not provide exact figures Monday and instead made it clear that while Fujita's departure as an unrestricted free agent is a loss it was not one that was entirely unexpected.

"Scott was the first player I brought here and he was with me in Dallas and we go back," Payton said. "We even have the same agent, there are all kinds of connections here. He'll be missed here, but I'm thrilled he has this opportunity in Cleveland."

In an e-mail Sunday night, Fujita, who turns 31 next month, called the occasion "bittersweet" because he and his wife, Jaclyn, are very fond of New Orleans, the city in which the couple's twin daughters were born. Like quarterback Drew Brees, Fujita is a Saint who has given much to the city off the field, and Payton cited him as one of a handful of players who helped redefine the Saints not only as a football team but as franchise deeply rooted in its community.

Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over, over, and over again...and expecting a different outcome!

stockman311

Quite frankly, that is why you aren't a GM in the NFL. Loomis doesn't have the luxury to get "steamed" if he loses either Fujita or Sharper. It's a business decision and obviously their are 53 moving parts that have to be taken into account. From a fans perspective, losing a member of your Superbowl team is tough. I think everyone will agree that Scott Fujita is a fantastic person, and was a very solid LB for us. However, he will be 31 when the season starts, and LB's are much like RB's in the fact that they start to wear down as they cross that 30 line. Fujita missed 6 games last year, so I believe the Saints are looking to get younger and more athletic at that position. The Saints were not willing to part with $8MM today and possibly $16MM over the next three years for a LB on the wrong side of 30. I think the decision was sound.

We have young players like Dunbar, Mitchell, Arnoux, Mitchell, Evans, Casillas. With the exception of Arnoux, all of those guys are veterans now. One of them either needs to step up this offseason or we need to look at a stud OLB like Weatherspoon, Jerry Hughes, or Daryl Washington in the draft.

Now we have the ability to sign a free agent for the same money Fujita got from the Browns. It is Loomis' job to find a better player for that money. This guy just brought us a Superbowl. I trust him to walk across water at this point, and therefore have no problem with him letting Fujita walk. He and Payton have done a FANTASTIC job, with the draft, finding undrafted free agent gems, and free agency (Jason David not withstanding). Let's see how our roster looks in September before we judge how the offseason went.