The Saints dropped a bombshell just before free agency opened when they agreed to trade tight end Jimmy Graham to the Seahawks and it wasn’t the only expected twist in New Orleans on Tuesday.
Cornerback Keenan Lewis told Mike Triplett of the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he wants the team to either guarantee the final three years of his contract or “let him go.” Lewis told Triplett he’s not feeling “safe or happy with the team being broken apart” and wants the security that would come with having his contract guaranteed.
Lewis is set to make $1.8 million, $4.25 million and $4.75 million in base salaries over the next three years. He’s started every game in his first two seasons with the Saints, who are otherwise very thin at the position at the moment.
Thin or not, guaranteeing more than $10 million may not be something the Saints want to do and they’ve got the leverage since Lewis doesn’t have any options as long as he’s under contract in New Orleans. The team may decide to see if they can find another way to placate Lewis once the shock of the Graham trade subsides.