An NFL star has signed a bumper contract worth $12m with a team that made an alarming yet pivotal discovery.
Tight end Foster Moreau has signed with the New Orleans Saints on a three-year deal which includes $8 million guaranteed and $3 million in incentives, his agent Joe Linta who informed ESPN. After undergoing a medical with the Saints in March, the 26-year was shockingly diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma.
This is a form of cancer that begins in the white blood cells and affects the body’s immune system, and is a type of lymphoma less common in individuals. The discovery came as a huge shock but the Saints have now given him a contract with his treatment working well and Linta revealing his client plans to play this season.
Moreau has been given the green light to return to the field as early as next week, with the Saints due to commence their Organised Team Activities sessions on May 23. However, it is unknown how long he will play. Last month, during an appearance on Good Morning America he stated his cancer reached stage two, but wasn’t progressing quickly and was determined to fight against it.
"I felt strong. I felt like I was running well," the NFL star said. "I mean, my offseason training was going just fine, and then he tells me something's there that I could've never imagined and it rocks my world. It's at stage 2, so it's spread from the initial location. But it appears to be a slow spread and we should be able to get rid of all of it."
It was during his physical exams to assess his health and fitness when the Saints' team physician spotted a lump in Moreau's neck.
"He sat me down and he goes, 'You've heard of Hodgkin's lymphoma, right?' And I say, 'Yeah.' And he goes, 'OK, well, from the tests that we see, that could be a strong possibility,'" Moreau recalled. "Hodgkin's lymphoma, chemotherapy, I'm preparing for being on an IV, for six, seven, eight hours. Whatever it takes, right? Because I mean, there's no other option. There's no option. You only have a finite amount of time on this Earth. For me, I'm gonna make it count. And right now, making it count is whuppin' up on cancer's butt."
Moreau entered the NFL in 2019 and spent his first four seasons with the Raiders where he caught 91 passes for 1,107 yards and 12 touchdowns.
This was before visiting the Saints as well as the Cincinnati Bengals as part of the free agency process, before agreeing to sign with the 2009 Super Bowl winners.
After trading Adam Trautman to the Denver Broncos during last month’s draft, the Saints were in need of another tight end. Trautman told ESPN that he wanted to be traded following the franchise’s decision to acquire some veteran tight ends during the free agency period.
