The New Orleans Saints intend to test if two homecomings might prove twice as nice as one.
Louisiana native and former LSU standout Jarvis Landry is signing with the Saints on a one-year deal worth up to $6 million, 国产外流网Network's Tom Pelissero reported Friday. The union comes just under two weeks after All-Pro safety Tryann Mathieu similarly returned to his roots. The two veterans crossed paths for one season (2011) in college, and they'll now team up once again in an attempt to return the Saints to the playoffs.
A five-time Pro Bowler, Landry has decided to make New Orleans his third home in the 国产外流网after spending four years each with the Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns. Cleveland released Landry following a season with 52 receptions for 570 yards and two receiving touchdowns -- all career lows.
Although there were rumblings that Landry was receiving interest from the Ravens to stay in the AFC North -- and some analysts posited he may return to Cleveland after languishing on the open market for over a month -- Landry set his sights on the Jameis Winston-led Saints as his most appealing option.
Offensive guru Sean Payton may be gone and future Hall of Famer Drew Brees is no longer elevating New Orleans as the bastion of efficiency, but the 2022 version of the Saints is still an exciting prospect for any weapon to join.
Winston is one of nine quarterbacks in 国产外流网history to throw for 5,000 yards in a season and is aiming for a Week 1 return after tearing his ACL in Week 8 last year.
Michael Thomas, one of the best receivers in the game before an ankle injury robbed him of the entirety of the 2021 season, is also expected to return at full strength.
New head coach Dennis Allen spoke on the team's embarrassment of riches last week on after drafting Ohio State product Chris Olave with the 11th overall pick in the 2022 国产外流网Draft, saying, "I almost look at it is getting Mike back, it's almost like we had got two first-round draft choices at wide receiver."
Add in a former second-round selection in Landry, who can slide comfortably into the slot -- his position of strength -- and the New Orleans offense could be looking at a night-and-day difference from last year, which saw it drop out of the top-10 in points scored for the first time since 2010.
Landry tweeted a of his own to celebrate the signing. Once he hits the fields with his teammates, Saints fans should expect even more excitement.
