Tre'Quan Smith tests free agency, returns to Saints on 2-year contract

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There we go: the New Orleans Saints are bringing back wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith on a two-year contract valued at $6 million, as first reported by ESPN’s Field Yates, with another $4.5 million available through incentives. But there’s more going on here below the surface. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports that Smith’s deal with the Saints guarantees him just $2 million, which is near the league minimum for someone with his experience as a four-year veteran. Expect the salary cap hit to be minimal.

So Smith is only promised $2 million over the next two years, but he’ll have enough opportunities to earn five times that if he’s healthy and productive. From the team’s perspective, this can’t be the only move at wide receiver — Smith probably is who he appears to be at this point in his career, as a physical blocking specialist who can’t consistently impact the offense. Smith hasn’t shown the extra gear needed to separate from NFL defensive backs or the size to reliably catch the ball when it goes his way. He might be just a guy with a lengthy injury history, having missed 14 regular season games over the last four years, who got little attention in free agency (beyond a visit with the division-rival Atlanta Falcons).

But let’s take a more optimistic view. Smith has struggled to adapt to the role of a possession receiver after impressing as a vertical threat in college at Central Florida, though some of that is due to a late-career Drew Brees being unable to hit him far downfield. Smith put in a lot of work with Jameis Winston last summer and looked to be his go-to receiver once Michael Thomas went out for the season, but a training camp hamstring injury derailed those plans. Maybe he shakes it off and finally breaks out in 2022.

There will be ample opportunities to make a splash. Deonte Harty and Marquez Callaway are the only receivers returning from 2021 with much to talk about; Thomas hasn’t played a game in good health for more than two years. Practice squad holdovers like Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Kevin White, Easop Winston Jr., and Kawaan Baker are also in the mix, as are training camp hopefuls Jalen McCleskey and Kirk Merritt. Smith will need to show more than the 2.2 receptions for 29.1 yards per game he’s averaged in his career, though. The Saints still need another receiver or two to get this offense back on its feet.