New Orleans Saints: Most surprising 2019 offseason move?

The New Orleans Saints usually run a pretty steady ship but sometimes they surprise us. Which offseason move was the most surprising, though?

There are times when NFL franchises surprise fans with the moves they make. For the New Orleans Saints, the 2019 offseason has been relatively tame. For the most part, the team has managed to keep most of their roster intact and even made some moves during free agency. Nevertheless, they did pull a few surprises — but which move was their biggest surprise this offseason?

The Saints are a team that doesn’t make many risks. If they do, their risks usually end up paying off. One such risk was trading up into the second round of the NFL Draft. While the team has always been aggressive, Sean Payton surprised everyone by trading up with such limited capital at their disposal.

In keeping with the draft, a major surprise was that the team didn’t seem to address parts of their future. Some assumed the team might draft a tight end or Drew Brees’ heir. Instead, they found a replacement for Max Unger and filled most of their other needs during free agency. A great strategy, but one that not all teams would have gone for. Hopefully, it will work out for the Saints.

Speaking of Brees’ heir, the team also re-signed Teddy Bridgewater. While Bridgewater only started one game while Brees rested, many assumed he’d head to Miami or somewhere else he could start. Bridgewater surprised everyone by re-signing with the Saints. For the Saints, it gives them some added security if anything would happen to Brees. As for Bridgewater, he has a chance to eventually become a starter since he’s shadowing Brees.

More recently, the team surprised everyone by giving Cameron Jordan a contract extension. It was clear that Jordan deserved it but the Saints weren’t particularly vocal about working on the deal. Thankfully, they were able to reach a deal and hopefully, keep Jordan in New Orleans until his career ends. If not, they managed to secure him for the next three years.

All of the previously mentioned moves have been pretty surprising. The one move that tops them all was the Saints letting Mark Ingram walk. After drafting the Heisman winner in 2012, the Saints utilized him as their lead back before drafting Alvin Kamara in 2017.

Since then, Ingram has been playing second fiddle to him. While not a big arrangement, Ingram wanted to be the lead back and it’s clear the Saints weren’t going to do that.

No doubt, losing Ingram is going to be an adjustment for the Saints. Then again, it might be what’s best for both parties, especially after inking Latavius Murray to replace him. Most of us assumed the two would be able to come to an agreement, but they didn’t and that’s fine. Of all the moves to take place during this offseason, letting Ingram go was a major surprise.