Saints safety Darren Sharper, whom many believe was a key cog in the team’s first-ever Super Bowl win, won’t be restricted via the franchise tag.
And he also won’t be signing a new contract.
Instead, Sharper will be hitting the open market. He seems resigned to the fact that, if he wants to keep playing, he’ll need to join a new team.
“If a team is willing to let you test the market,” Sharper told Steve Wyche of NFL.com, “they’re willing to let you go.”
Of course, it doesn’t mean that Sharper definitely won’t return. It just means that the Saints are willing to accept the risk that some other team will be willing to pay a Super Bowl premium to a guy who didn’t just help that team win a Super Bowl.
If no one will overpay for a guy who arguably is over the hill, then Sharper could land back in New Orleans.