Saints - Jones Trade Almost Complete?

[Gunzlingr]

Saints | Jones Trade Almost Complete? - posted at KFFL (http://nfl.kffl.com)
2:27 PT: Jeff Duncan, of the Times-Picayune, reports the New Orleans Saints are moving closer to working out a trade with the New England Patriots for S Tebucky Jones. A deal between the two teams could be done as early as next week. The Patriots are reportedly looking for a second-round pick while the Saints had previously offered one of their two third-round selections.

[The_Philster]

Jones headed to Saints' hood

The safety spot in New England is about to get a lot less crowded, not to mention less expensive.


Barring any last-minute changes of heart, the Patriots, according to NFL sources, will finalize a trade tomorrow that will send franchised free safety Tebucky Jones to New Orleans in exchange for one of the Saints' two third-round picks (No. 78 or 86) and a seventh-round pick (231st overall) in the April 26-27 draft, along with a fourth-round choice next year.

Because Jones is not under contract -- he did not sign the one-year franchise tender of $3.043 million (which no longer will count toward New England's salary cap) -- the Patriots must execute a same-day sign-and-trade to keep available the use of the franchise designation for the life of Jones's new contract. According to ESPN.com, Jones's agent, Gary Wichard, and the Saints already have agreed to a five-year, $18.75 million pact that includes a $5 million signing bonus.

Patriots spokesman Stacey James said last night the team had no comment. Jones played in the Lawyer Milloy Foundation's celebrity basketball game yesterday at UMass-Boston and afterward did not speak with the media. A source familiar with the negotiations said Jones is scheduled to travel to New Orleans tomorrow for a physical....more