New Orleans Saints are interested in former Patriots LB Jamie Collins
Should the New Orleans Saints pursue Jamie Collins?
The New Orleans Saints, who could watch AJ Klein leave this offseason, are expected to be interested in New England Patriots free agent linebacker, Jamie Collins. Collins is a seven-year veteran, having also spent time with the Cleveland Browns.
The 6-foot-3, 30-year-old linebacker played all 16 regular season games for the Patriots, starting 15 of them. In 2019, he racked up 81 tackles, 7 sacks and 3 interceptions. That’s a pretty solid line for a linebacker, showing Collins’ versatility.
That said, The Athletic’s (premium content) Larry Holder was the first to report the Saints potential interest. Collins is set to hit the open market once the March 18 free agency period commences.
Saints like Eli Apple, AJ Klein, and Vonn Bell will also hit the market, potentially crushing the Saints defensive. The loss of those three would make the addition of a Collins-like linebacker across from Demario Davis of utmost importance.
With so many others holes to fill, most notably at receiver and cornerback, securing a player like Collins may not be at the top of the to-do list for New Orleans, but there’s obvious interest in the versatile linebacker.
The most important aspect of a potential Collins’ deal is the price tag. The Saints will be entering the 2020 offseason as one of the most limited teams in terms of cap space. They will have around $12 million.
Players like Taysom Hill and Bell, two staples of New Orleans’ play, will likely take priority.
What will Collins take to play in the Big Easy? Collins total contract in New England was for $2 million, only for a mere one year. The Saints may not give him the pay raise he craves, but they can still do better than that.
Hopefully, if New Orleans tosses him something north of $3 million, it would be enough to secure the veteran. He’s worth that after an impressive season in which he both stayed healthy and active.
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Collins has three seasons in his career which he has over 100 combined tackles. That said, hopefully Mickey Loomis can find a way to bring him to the Big Easy.