Saints Step In And Sign LB Curtis Lofton

Looks like you can forget about the Buccaneers signing LB Curtis Lofton. 

Adam Caplan reports that the New Orleans Saints have signed Lofton to a five-year deal.

He previously met with the team early into the offseason but the market for inside linebackers cooled off until recently. The Saints decision to step in could be seen as an indication that Jonathan Vilma could be released in the near future but that’s strickly based on speculation.

We have Lofton listed as the #6 best available free agent in our Top 50 Free Agents list.

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Roy Cummings of the Tampa Bay Tribune sees the chances of LB Curtis Lofton signing with the Buccaneers as being “about 50-50 at this point.”

Cummings believes that the Buccaneers are skeptical about the linebackers overall ability.

“They see him as a two-down player who doesn’t offer much on third down,” writes Cummings.

The Falcons were also concerned about Lofton’s ability to drop into coverage which most likely why he’s still shopping for a new team. Add in the fact that inside linebackers haven’t exactly fared too well this year, and it’s pretty clear that Lofton will have to take a limited contract at this point.