Saints Countdown to NFL Kickoff 2021: #62 Nick Easton
Saints News Network is counting down the days to the Saints' Week 1 clash with the Pack on September 12th, 2021. With 62 days remaining until the kickoff of the 2021 Saints season, here is a look at New Orleans' most recent #62: OL Nick Easton.
Nick Easton, 29, is entering his seventh NFL season, after spending his previous with the New Orleans Saints. A two-sport athlete in High School, Easton elected to play football for the Harvard Crimson.
In 2011, Easton helped lead the Crimson to the FCS' second-highest scoring offense at 37.4 ppg and 51 TDs. After not participating in football during 2012, Easton returned to the gridiron in 2013, earning All-Ivy League first-team honors. Easton finished his Harvard career with his best individual season.
The Lenior, NC native was named to the All-Ivy League first team, Third Team FCS All-American, and First Team FCS North All-American.
The Baltimore Ravens signed Easton as a UDFA following the 2015 NFL Draft. After an impressive preseason, Easton was traded to San Fransisco for a 2016 Draft pick. Minnesota exchanged LB Gerald Hodges for Easton a year after arriving in San Francisco. Over the next two seasons (2016-17), Easton would appear in 23 games, making 17 starts for the Vikings.
In training camp, prior to the 2018 NFL season, Easton suffered a neck injury. The injury landed him on injured reserve and cost him the season. The New Orleans Saints signed Easton to a four-year, $24M deal in March 2019 after the unexpected retirement of C Max Unger.
Easton played a key role as a reserve OL in 2019 playing in 10 games and starting 6 in place of the injured LG Andrus Peat. The Harvard Man played 38% of the Saints offensive snaps in 2019, committing only two penalties.
In 2020, Easton was plagued by injuries and concluded the season on injured reserve. Despite playing a key reserve role for the Saints' offensive line over the past two seasons, Easton was a cap casualty this offseason. He was released in February 2021. The move saved the Saints roughly $6M in Cap Space.
Easton is currently an NFL Free Agent.
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