What I learned about the Saints, Antonio Brown and more at the combine

INDIANAPOLIS — In theory, Antonio Brown to the Saints makes some sense.

The sense that any team would yearn for one of the most talented wide receivers in the league. The sense that the Saints lack a legitimate complement to All-Pro wideout Michael Thomas.

In reality, Brown doesn’t make enough sense for the Saints to sell the farm to acquire the wide receiver in a trade from Pittsburgh. So it’s becoming less surprising to hear Sean Payton say, as he did Friday, how the Saints haven’t really pushed to inquire about Brown. The more I brought up Brown-to-the-Saints as an option with a few sources, the more the notion of a Saints-Brown union was dismissed.

Cost, both monetarily and asset-wise, and locker room toxicity could be enough to sway any team away from Brown. A looming extension for Thomas and more pressing holes on the roster should push the Saints to spend elsewhere at wideout.

Someone like Adam Humphries intrigues the Saints, I’m told. They’re probably more familiar with the Buccaneers slot receiver than many teams given the ties to the NFC South.

The 5-foot-11, 195-pound undrafted wideout steadily increased his production through his four years in Tampa Bay. He topped off in 2018 with 76 catches for 816 yards and five touchdowns. Humphries played under a second-round restricted free agent tender, earning $2.91 million last year.

Yahoo! Sports reported receivers like Humphries and Golden Tate will be asking for anywhere between $10 million and $14 million per year on the open market. I wouldn’t expect the Saints to offer Humphries anywhere near that type of money if the two sides reach the bargaining table. Those numbers sound mega-inflated. My sense would be the Saints would like to stay around the $5 million per year range on Humphries. Could they go higher on an improving receiver with no major injury history at an area of need? Certainly.

If the Saints would stay true to that price point, they would basically be replacing Cameron Meredith with Humphries. Meredith would cost nearly $6.5 million to the 2019 cap. New Orleans would save $3.7 million by releasing Meredith from the final year of his deal.

New Orleans still likes its younger receivers, particularly Keith Kirkwood. Plus, the Saints are enamored with the depth of this year’s draft class. A receiver could easily be in play with the team’s first pick, at No. 62 overall, late in the second round.

“The key is the correct vision for the player,” Payton said.

The vision for the 2019 Saints could easily be for New Orleans to add a receiver in free agency or the NFL Draft. The vision of Brown in a Saints uniform should be only an illusion.

How much will it cost for Mark Ingram?

I fully believe Mark Ingram wants nothing more than to strike a deal to stay in New Orleans. I fully believe Payton hopes Ingram and the team come together for a third contract since drafting the Heisman Trophy winner in 2011.

“Man, he’s been a big part of our success,” Payton said Friday. “There’s a clean vision for the player. Hopefully, we can get that done.”

Both sides have to look out for themselves, though. And you can’t blame either party for doing so.

Ingram isn’t the same running back on the verge of 30 like many others, those who tend to be phased out once hitting that line of demarcation. He’s still a productive back. He’s rarely carried the burden of being a bell-cow back. He’s been relatively injury free the past few years.

It’s why there’s a thought Ingram could be looking for a type of contract signed by Marshawn Lynch. A 26-year-old Marshawn Lynch. He received a four-year extension worth up to $30 million in 2012, a $7.5 million per year average.

Do I think that’s realistic? No.

Ingram’s last contract played out to four years and $16 million. I’d cut the years in half and stay around the same price point. The money seems fair, and this frees more on a long-term extension for Alvin Kamara when his rookie deal expires after 2020.

Payton said, though, running back would jump to the “need” list if the Saints and Ingram split up.

Is Tyrann Mathieu a possibility?

The Saints wasted little time releasing veteran safety Kurt Coleman. Very good guy in the locker room, but couldn’t hack it anymore on the field. And the Saints obviously spent way too much.

I’ve been told by people I trust how much the Saints like their young safety duo of Vonn Bell and Marcus Williams. Could the Saints add another safety for depth? I can see that. Will it be New Orleans native and former LSU standout Tyrann Mathieu? I’m starting to back off on my convictions.

The fit with the Saints would be a bit of a challenge. New Orleans wouldn’t envision Mathieu as a true free safety like Williams. It would probably want to use him a lot as a nickel cornerback. Patrick Robinson will return fully healthy, so they already have that position filled. Also, the Saints shifted away from playing many three safety sets, which New Orleans used out of necessity for too many years.

Never say never, but forcing Mathieu to fit despite other needs probably wouldn’t be the smartest idea.

Other thoughts on Saints needs

I expected positions like defensive tackle and tight end to come from Payton as need positions. I didn’t expect the first position group for the Saints coach to mention would be depth along the interior offensive line.

Maybe that group just happened to be at the top of his head when he spoke to media Friday. It happened twice during the conversation. Or maybe there’s a bigger desire there than elsewhere.

The middle of the Saints offensive line has been a strength for the past two years with Larry Warford and Andrus Peat at guard, along with Max Unger at center. Peat enters the final year of his contract set to make nearly $10 million. Unger also walks into the final year of his deal with an $8.7 million salary cap figure this season. Cameron Tom and Will Clapp could be the young depth Payton and Mickey Loomis are looking for, but it never hurts to have other options.

As for tight end, the draft seems like the better route for the Saints to fill the void left by the retiring Benjamin Watson.

It seems like all the top prospects tested well in Indy, including Iowa’s T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant, as well as Alabama’s Irv Smith Jr. At least I won’t feel like a homer in pumping LSU’s Foster Moreau as a Day 3 possibility for the Saints. He tested well, even among the potential top picks. The Tigers offense hindered Moreau’s chances to show off his skills in catching the ball. Too often LSU needed him to block because of a leaky offensive line.

(Top photo: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports)