The New Orleans Saints have had a solid offseason so far, bringing back some of their key free agents, and even adding some new players like Justin Reid and Davon Godchaux (via trade). This has put them in a good position to draft for need, but also take the best player available in many cases as well.
The one spot many people thought they would address during free agency is wide receiver, and it seems they may have their foot in the door on one of the biggest players actively on the market, Cooper Kupp. According to Dianna Russini on her Scoop City podcast with former Saints quarterback Chase Daniell, there are three teams currently in on the All-Pro receiver and three who were expected to be that at this time are not.
“But with that being said, okay so you have teams like, I can tell you the Seattle Seahawks are poking around on this thing, the Packers are looking at this, the Saints,” Russini paused, “The Saints got their eye on it. Teams that I thought would be in, that are not in on the Cooper Kupp market, the Denver Broncos, the New England Patriots, the Houston Texans. I think they just are valuing different players at this moment.”
Additionally, Russini mentions that Kupp is looking for a contract around the $14 to $15 million dollar range, but she expects the final deal may be more like $11 to $12 million dollars instead.
This is a huge deal for the Saints to be potentially in on Kupp, as he would be an enormous playmaking outside receiver to pair up with Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed to really make this team versatile. His previous success speaks for itself, and given he is the grandson of Saints legend Jake Kupp, maybe there is a connection there that can win him over.
Regardless, it will be intriguing to see how the market plays out for Kupp, as it is clear he wants to move quicker on things and wants to get a deal done sooner rather than later.
