Saints Make Critical Decision In Releasing 3-Time All-Pro

The New Orleans Saints made a difficult decision on Monday...

Sep 8, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view of the New Orleans Saints football helmet before the game against the Carolina Panthers during the pregame at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The difficult decisions aren't done for the New Orleans Saints.

Last week was a hard one for New Orleans, and the league overall. Each team had to trim down their rosters down to 53 players. On the bright side, teams started forming practice squads, which gave new opportunities to some of the hundreds of players who were released.

The decisions aren't done, yet. In fact, they never truly end throughout the season. This roster is going to be updated plenty of times throughout the year and another decision was made on Monday. Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reported that the Saints are releasing three-time All-Pro J.T. Gray.

"Saints released S J.T. Gray, per source," Underhill said.

Ross Jackson of LouisianaSports.Net also shared the surprise news and noted there is at least a chance that he could come back.

"The NFL season is filled with surprising moves and the New Orleans Saints just made a shocker," Jackson said. " Per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, the Saints have released veteran safety J.T. Gray. This is a big surprise as Gray has not only been a constant providing safety depth for the team, but was in line to become a fifth-year team captain on special teams.

The Saints made a surprise decision on Monday

Aug 10, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; New Orleans Saints safety J.T. Gray (48) against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

"The Saints’ top gunner may end up finding his way back to the team. But for now, he hits the open market in a rare instance during his seven-year career. Gray landed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He is a two-time second-team All-Pro and received first-team All-Pro honors in 2021."

Gray has spent his entire seven-year NFL career in New Orleans. He's a three-time All-Pro and former Pro Bowler known for his ability to dominate on the special teams.

Matthew Paras of The Times-Picayune and The Advocate quoted head coach Kellen Moore calling the move "one of the hardest things so far, this year."

"The Saints released veteran safety JT Gray, Kellen Moore said. 'One of the hardest things so far, this year,' Moore said. 'It was a really challenging decision,'" Paras shared.

Certainly a surprise in New Orleans.

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