Here’s some New Orleans Saints free agency news: WWL-TV sports anchor Brooke Kirchhofer reports that the team has extended a contract offer to tight end Foster Moreau, who previously visited the team and underwent a physical only to be diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Moreau has since turned his focus away from football and towards this fight with cancer, but Kirchhofer adds that Moreau is ‘receiving attention’ from several teams, including the Saints.
There are some obvious benefits to signing him now. Moreau already has well-established chemistry with Saints quarterback Derek Carr — the vast majority of his 91 career receptions have come from the longtime Raiders quarterback. He’s coming off the best year of his career with 33 catches for 420 yards, with 24 first down conversions and a pair of touchdown grabs. At just 26 years of age he was rightfully seen as an ascending talent prior to this cancer diagnosis.
Moreau has said he hopes to receive medical clearance to return to football by October, but he would need a few weeks or maybe another month to get into game shape. That does match the timeline for him to be potentially activated from the non-football injury list, so the Saints or another team could hypothetically sign him now, stash him on that NFI list to defer his salary cap costs, and bring him up after Week 4.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here. Moreau’s health is what’s most important, and until he’s satisfied with his treatment plan and recovery timetable, he’s probably keeping his focus away from football. Still, there wouldn’t be an easier player on the roster to root for than him if everything works out. Moreau is a former LSU Tiger and New Orleans native who hails from Jesuit High School in Mid-City. It’s safe to say he’d have a lot of fans in the Caesars Superdome on Sundays.
