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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.

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