Saints RB Thomas is still negotiating contract with team

An ESPN reports released last Friday said that the New Orleans Saints running back Pierre Thomas could not receive a new contract as soon as expected, because he was not taken indispensible by team. However, this week another reports from the New Orleans Times argued that the talk is still going on and Thomas will stay in his New Orleans Saints jersey with a new contract.




The ESPN report said that Thomas was asking for a lucrative contract that matches what Steven Jackson received from the St. Louis Rams. The reporter made a comparison between the two running backs, citing that Jackson averaged 25 touches per game while Thomas averaged at only 13.3. He also wrote that Thomas was not so vital to Saints’ offense and received only a second-round tender offer from the team; therefore in conclusion, the reporter believed that the Saints would not give Thomas a significant deal.

Well, the latest report said that Thomas, as a part of the three-tailback rotation, gave an excellent performance despite his limited role and ranked third in term of total carries in 2009. The only better two running backs are Jamaal Charles and Chris Johnson. Besides, since Mike Bell has left the Saints, Thomas would see significant increase in playing time and would be even more important to the defending champion team, so Saints will take the deal with Thomas as a priority.

Dolphins QB Pennington could join Saints for backup job

The Miami Dolphins currently have four quarterbacks on roster, with Chad Henne to be starter, Tyler Thigpen to be No.2 and Pat White to the third, their oldest and highest-paid quarterback Chad Pennington could hardly get much playing time when the 2010 season begins. Therefore, some New Orleans Saints fans wonder whether the veteran quarterback could join the defending champion to back up Drew Brees.




The eleven-year veteran Pennington is taken to resemble Brees in intelligence, accuracy and arm strength. He would also be a good fit in Sean Payton’s offense system and is believed to be able to take fit in perfectly if Brees goes down during a game. Besides, if putting on New Orleans Saints jersey, Pennington could be the No. 2 role in the team instead of the number third or fourth in Dolphins, and playing for the defending champion could lead to his first Super Bowl appearance in his entire NFL career.

However, the addition of Pennington to the Saints could not happen soon or even just won’t happen as the veteran’s salary is much higher than other backup quarterbacks. Although the Dolphins do not seem like to keep the 34-year old quarterback for long, they may still want a good reward if any team makes a trade offer. On that point, the Saints could quit the bid as the team has a tradition of giving low investment on backup players.