Tight ends: Contract breakdown for the New Orleans Saints

The Saints have a history of productive tight ends. Sean Payton loves to run multiple tight end sets, and the position has always been heavily featured in the passing game.

This offseason saw the departure of Benjamin Watson, who, after a career year with New Orleans, moved on to Baltimore. The Saints didn’t seem to pursue him heavily, instead choosing to spend most of their available cap space to sign Colts tight end Coby Fleener.

The move was widely disparaged among Saints fans. Many argued that Fleener, who’d never put up huge numbers, wasn’t worth the investment. Others more reasonably pointed to the range of positions on the Saints roster that needed upgrading besides tight end. But what’s done is done, and the Saints have their guy for the foreseeable future in Fleener.

In this article, Who Dat Dish breaks down the contract of every tight end on the roster. We’ve judged their value based on other TE contracts around the league and have ranked them in order from worst to best.

Nov 8, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Josh Hill (89) scores a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans during the first quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Hill

Three years, $7,100,000, through 2018

Josh Hill has long been a guy Saints fans expect to breakout. When the team shipped Jimmy Graham off to Seattle, most fans and media outlets pegged Hill as the man to step up. Payton had repeatedly gushed over Hill’s athletic ability, which seemed a sure sign that he was due for a promotion. Instead, Hill took a backseat to veteran Benjamin Watson, who went on to have a career year as a receiving TE.

Then, when Watson jumped ship for Baltimore, the Saints brought in Fleener. Hill’s contract was up, and after a workout with Ryan Pace and the Bears, Chicago signed him to an offer sheet. This seemed like the end of Hill’s career with the Saints who had plenty of holes left to fill.

Instead, the Saints matched the offer sheet worth over $7 million. For a player who’s always been more potential than production, $7 million seemed high. Hill is an adequate blocker, and by all accounts a phenomenal athlete, but he’s never had the agility or route running skills to produce in this league. Most of his value comes on special teams.

Hill’s now missed most of the season with an ankle injury, but he looks to return this week against Carolina. In his defense, he’s not yet played a full game under his new contract, and may very well still show his value as a hybrid blocking-receiving TE. But after years with the team, it feels like we know what sort of player he is.

Nov 8, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) celebrates a touchdown with teammates tight end Michael Hoomanawanui (84) during a game against the Tennessee Titans . Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Hoomanawanui (IR)

Three years, 5,200,000, through 2018

Hoomanawanui landed on IR in the preseason after a nasty injury to his leg against Pittsburgh. Until then, he was slated to feature heavily in the Saints ground game. Hoomanawanui is the best blocking tight end on this Saints roster, and often played that lead blocker/FB role that John Kuhn has played this year. Payton also liked to line Hooman up along the line, as he’s a capable pass catcher and made the offense more versatile operating out of run-heavy formations.

Hoomanwanui’s injury left a hole on the roster that Chris Manhertz will have to fill for the year. When he returns, it’s unclear who the odd man out will be from this position group.

The Saints brought Hooman in a trade that sent Akiem Hicks to New England, and promptly signed Hooman to an extension after a promising year with the team. While he will never put up the stats of some more high-profile tight ends, Hooman played an important role in the offense, and an average cap hit of around $1.5 million is appropriate for a player of his caliber.

Aug 26, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Chris Manhertz (86) breaks a tackle by Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Doran Grant (24) during a preseason game. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Manhertz

Two years, $990,000, through 2017

Chris Manhertz came into the league having never played organized football. He was a basketball player. He signed with the Bills in 2015 but failed to make the preseason roster, then went on to spend the 2015 season on the Saints practice squad.

Saints fans are familiar with the trope of ex-basketball playing tight ends. But there’s a reason for the connection: Manhertz fits the mold of those big, strong, and agile tight ends who know how to seal defenders with their body.

Two years into his football career, Manhertz is of course still raw. But when Michael Hoomanawanui went down with a leg injury, the Saints promoted Manhertz to the active over other intriguing prospects like TE/LS Garrett Griffin. Payton clearly likes what he’s seen from the young prospect.

And his tape has been positive, while not overwhelming. He is more of a blocking tight end at this point in his career; the Saints haven’t asked him to run many routes, likely because he’s still unpolished in that field. But he’s got a future with this team. And with a cap hit of $450,000, the Saints are getting solid bang for their buck here.

Sep 11, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Coby Fleener (82) catches the ball prior to the game against the Oakland Raiders at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Coby Fleener

Five years, $36,000,000, through 2021

Plenty of fans may disagree with my high grade on Fleener’s contract; as I mentioned, many were perturbed by the Saints spending a premium on him in the offseason. But while I agree that the money may have been better spent elsewhere, looking simply at Fleener’s contract it’s hard to argue with the value.

The main argument against the contract is that Fleener’s underperformed through much of the first four games. He’s been plagued by bad hands and poor timing with Brees.

But in my opinion, that argument is greatly overblown. Fleener’s improved dramatically from week to week. Yes, it’s taking longer than it should for him to figure out the nuances of the offense. But once he does, and it appears he’s very nearly there, he’ll be a force. He’s got great speed, and he’s a better route-runner than Brees has ever had at TE. That’s not to say he’s as good as Jimmy Graham, but that brings up another important point in his favor.

Fleener was one of the highest paid tight ends of the offseason. This led many to believe that he was one of the highest paid in the league. In fact, he’s only the 12th highest paid TE, his contract extends well beyond most others. When he’s entering the final years of his contract, he will be much lower than 12th on that list. By that time, he should be as dangerous a receiving threat as any TE in the league.