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Saints and TE Nick Vannett Agree to a Restructured Contract

Originally posted on FanNation Saints News Network
By Bob Rose | Last updated 8/31/22

ESPN NFL Insider Field Yates reports on Wednesday morning that New Orleans Saints TE Nick Vannett agreed to a renegotiated contract for 2022.

Vannett agreed to drop his base salary from $2.6 million to $1.035 million this season, according to Yates. The move creates an additional $1.5 million in salary cap space for the Saints.

Vannett, 29, is entering his seventh NFL season. He was originally a third-round choice by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2016 NFL Draft out of Ohio State. Over his first five seasons, he caught 75 passes for 686 yards and five touchdowns with the Seahawks, Steelers, and Broncos.

Signed to a three-year deal by New Orleans last offseason, Vannett missed the first part of 2021 with injuries. He’d appear in seven games for the Saints, hauling in nine receptions for 133 yards and a score.

At 6’6” and 261-Lbs., Vannett is a more efficient blocker than he is a receiver. He was in on 51% of the Saints offensive snaps during his seven games, getting used as an in-line blocker and even out of the backfield.

All the New Orleans tight ends offered next to nothing as receivers last season for an offense that ranked dead last in passing yardage.

Vannett was one of four tight ends kept on the initial 53-man roster for the Saints. The group includes projected starter Adam Trautman, Juwan Johnson, and converted athlete Taysom Hill. Vannett caught just one pass for six yards during a quiet preseason where he again dealt with nagging injuries.