Report: Saints Re-Sign WR Tre'Quan Smith
The New Orleans Saints are re-signing WR Tre'Quan Smith, according to Field Yates of ESPN. It's a two-year contract worth a base value of $6M and incentives that could escalate to $10M dollars.
The 26-year-old Smith had visited the Falcons last week, but had otherwise received little interest on the free-agent market.
Smith was a third-round pick out of Central Florida by the Saints in the 2018 NFL Draft. He showed promise during his rookie campaign, finishing with 28 catches for 428 yards and 5 touchdowns in 15 games.
Smith's best two outings of 2018 were 3 receptions for 111 yards and 2 scores against Washington and a career-high 10 catches for 157 yards and a touchdown against Philadelphia.
Those were the only two 100-yard games of Smith's career. In the 45 games he’s played since his career best performance against the Eagles, he’s surpassed 70 yards receiving just three times.
Smith has 112 receptions for 1,428 yards and 17 touchdowns in four years with the Saints. The best year of his career was in 2020, when he caught 34 passes for 448 yards. He had 32 receptions for 377 yards and 3 touchdowns last season.
At 6’2” and 210-Lbs., Smith has prototypical size and good speed for the position. He’s consistently struggled to get separation and has failed to secure a Number 2 wideout spot despite several opportunities in a short-handed receiving corps.
Smith is a terrific blocker in the running game and a solid red-zone threat. However, he was part of a receiving corps that struggled with All-Pro WR Michael Thomas out for the year in 2021. The Saints finished last in the league in passing production.
New Orleans Saints receiver Tre'Quan Smith (10) catches a touchdown pass behind Atlanta Falcons cornerback Fabian Moreau (22). Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY
Tre'Quan Smith is the second of the Saints unrestricted free agents to re-sign with the team. New Orleans had also reached an extension with QB Jameis Winston, but lost FS Marcus Williams and LT Terron Armstead.
The Saints have also signed S Marcus Maye and DT Kentavius Street in free agency. Additionally, they've re-signed restricted free agents Deonte Harty, Carl Granderson, Shy Tuttle, Jalen Dalton, and Juwan Johnson.
