The NFL’s legal tampering period opened yesterday, and teams around the league wasted no time handing out checks to free agents.  Most teams watched things play out yesterday, while a few others were big spenders.  Let’s look at what went down.

The Saints

            For the most part, things were mostly quiet yesterday on Airline for Mickey Loomis and company.  The Saints spent much of their day restructuring the contracts of their own players which is part of the work needed to be done for the team get under the salary cap.  This was the expectation coming into the day however, as head coach Dennis Allen said the other day that he didn’t expect the team to be players in the first wave of free agency.  Here is a rundown of the restructures the Saints made today in their attempt to get under the cap.

• Cam Jordan restructures deal to free up $10 million in cap space.
• Alvin Kamara restructures deal to free up $7 million in cap space.
• Marshon Lattimore restructures deal to free up $10 million in cap space.

In a surprising move to many, the Saints also avoided a large amount of dead money when quarterback Jameis Winston agreed to a new 1-year contract worth up to $8 million per Ian Rapaport.  I believe many fans expected Winston to find a new home this season, but he decided to remain in New Orleans giving the Saints one of the better backup options in the league.  This is great news for a team who has prioritized quality backups at the position and has quite frankly needed it in recent years.

            The Saints didn’t make it out of day one without taking some hits, however.  Mickey Loomis and Jeff Ireland will have to spend the rest of the offseason rebuilding the front seven on defense after losing three guys along the defensive line and one linebacker.

• David Onyemata signed a 3-year $35 million deal with the Falcons.
• Shy Tuttle signed a 3-year $19.5 million deal with Carolina.
• Marcus Davenport signed a 1-year $13 million deal with the Vikings.
• Kaden Ellis joins Onyemata in Atlanta on a 3-year $21.5 million deal.

In my opinion, losing each of these guys individually isn’t a major loss; however, when you look at the situation in its entirety, it could prove difficult plugging four new players into key roles on defense.  But Dennis Allen is a solid defensive coach, so it will be interesting to see his approach in rebuilding his defense.  We can expect the Saints to fill the holes on the roster by being players in the second wave of free agency as well as the draft.

Finally, when it comes to the Saints, the Michael Thomas situation is getting increasingly intriguing.  I think many people believed when his contract was restructured that it was just a matter of time before he was traded or released.  However, Mike himself has been talking and acting like a guy who is coming back.  According to Derek Carr, Mike was a major factor in Carr’s recruitment.  Carr told the media that Mike said he was, “ready to get to work.”  So, now we wait to see how this situation plays out.  If the Saints can keep Michael Thomas, it would completely change the outlook of the offense.

Other news from around the league

• Trey Wingo reported that the Aaron Rodgers trade to the Jets was a done deal; however, NFL Network says nothing is final.  So, we continue to wait to see what happens with Rodgers.
• The most surprising move of the day was Chargers running back Austin Ekeler requesting a trade from team after contract talks fell apart.
• The Raiders replace Derek Carr by signing Jimmy G
• The Falcons seem to have unlimited money this offseason.  They traded for tight end Jonnu Smith and signed the number one safety Jessie Bates.
• The Steelers get veteran leadership in their secondary by adding Patrick Peterson.
• The Bears were big spenders signing Tremaine Edmunds.
• The Bucs were able to retain Jamel Dean.
• Von Bell is heading to Carolina.  The Bengals safety situation just got interesting.

Day two continues today.  Follow The Kneaux on twitter and Instagram to stay up to date on everything that is happening with the Saints and other major moves around the league.