Reports out of New Orleans have the Saints passing on the option of using the franchise tag on left tackle Jermon Bushrod, leaving them a little less than two weeks to secure a long-term contract that would keep Bushrod from hitting the open market.
There haven’t been any serious talks about such a deal yet, but Bushrod thinks that things are about to get “interesting” on that front. Bushrod explained that he wants to remain in New Orleans for the long term, but he’s seen other players get bigger deals elsewhere and knows that his time with the team could be drawing to a close.
“But at the end of the day, the business aspect is going to come out and that’s just something you have to be prepared for and ready for. There should be no hard feelings,” Bushrod said, via Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “Every single player that’s left and gone to another team, they’ve definitely appreciated the experience here in New Orleans. You can’t get your feelings too wrapped into this. It’s a tough situation. But sometimes, you may have to experience change. Things aren’t always going to remain the same.”
Thanks to their tight cap situation and the flood of tackles expected to hit the market next month, it seems likely that the Saints will see what kind of prices the market is willing to pay before deciding on who will wind up on Drew Brees’ blindside in 2013 and beyond.