Saints waive Johnny Patrick and TE David Thomas

Smith is gone, too little production. Vilma my get an offer to stay, but I doubt it.

 

They are cap casualties, but really, these can't be making THAT much money (relatively speaking), so how much are they really saving? The big bucks will come when/if they release Smith and Vilma. I think Smith is done, but I hope they restructure Vilma or figure out some other way to keep him. I really like him and Lofton playing together in a 3-4 if he stays healthy.

 

Loomis says releasing Thomas on Tuesday was "an extremely difficult decision," given seven-year veteran's leadership and versatility, which allowed him to fill in at several spots, including fullback.

NBC Sports ProFootballTalk:
"The Saints have made a pair of cuts, one
for financial reasons (Thomas) and one of the more traditional variety (Patrick). ...
Thomas is a good second tight end, but he
was due $1.5 million in base salary this
year, and a $200,000 roster bonus."

Payton on Thomas:
"David has been important part of our
team since the day he arrived here
immediately after the 2009 preseason and
we appreciate everything he did for us
these last four seasons"

Loomis on Thomas: "Since he came
here in 2009, he's been an important part
of our team, both with his performance
on the field and with the outstanding
veteran leadership he's provided for us."

 

Looks like Patrick was a wasted Top 100 draft pick (got him at #88 overall in 3rd R)

CBS Sports:
Patrick, who was cut more
for talent reasons than financial reasons, was
scheduled to make $555,000 in 2013 and
would have counted $740,000 against the
cap.

Times Picayune:
Patrick struggled mightily when he
did play in the secondary last season.

 

According to the Times Picayune, Thomas would have counted $2.2 million against the cap:

Thomas held a salary cap number of $2.2
million with a base salary of $1.5 million
for 2013, which was the final year of his
contract.

Payton also said of Thomas:
"With his
dependability, intelligence and work
ethic, he was someone our players and
coaches could always rely on. On the
field, he would set a physical tone and his
versatility proved to be a great asset for
us."

He caught 81 passes for 677 yards and seven
touchdowns during his four seasons with the
team.

 

Interesting read from the Times Picayune four days ago on our cap situation

The New Orleans Saints apparently have
started making room to get under the
salary cap. Linebacker Curtis Lofton has
restructured his contract to help free up
some salary cap space. ...
Lofton's cap figure was scheduled to be
$7.1 million in 2013. But the Saints were
able to drop that number to $3.1 million
by replacing a scheduled $5 million roster
bonus with a $5 million signing bonus
that will be prorated over the remainder
of the contract
...
The Saints were expected to be about $20
million over the salary cap. But General
Manager Mickey Loomis appears to be
working to do away with that number.
Earlier this offseason, Loomis
acknowledged the Saints would be in a
tough cap situation, but he added it was a
situation the Saints could handle.
It's apparent the Saints will handle their
cap issues similar to the way they did a
year ago when they restructured the
contracts of receiver Lance Moore,
cornerback Patrick Robinson, cornerback
Jabari Greer, offensive guard Jahri Evans,
defensive end Will Smith and linebacker
Jonathan Vilma.
Those moves helped enable the Saints to
sign Lofton to a five-year, $27.5 million
contract. In his first season in New
Orleans, he led the team in tackles with
123 tackles. ...

The Saints could potentially free up
another $12 million on the cap by
restructuring the contracts of quarterback
Drew Brees ($17.4 million) and Evans
($9.8 million) to convert their base
salaries into guaranteed bonuses.

Also, both Smith ($14.6 million) and
Vilma ($8.5) seem like prime candidates
to either be approached to restructure or
have their contracts terminated.

 

Jason La Canfora | CBS Sports NFL.Insider
February 18, 2013

The New Orleans Saints have asked
defensive end Will Smith to take a steep pay
cut, as expected, according to a source with
knowledge of the situation.

 

Will Smith is due $14m? Wow.. If I were Loomis, I may just go ahead and release him.