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C.J. Spiller: I would have been a ‘fool’ to not consider Saints

By Will Osgood

Aug 16, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu (43) tackles Buffalo Bills running back CJ Spiller (28) during the first half at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 16, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu (43) tackles Buffalo Bills running back CJ Spiller (28) during the first half at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports /
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C.J. Spiller is the perfect back for the New Orleans Saints offense and he knows it.

The New Orleans Saints announced two rather noteworthy transactions within mere moments of one another on Friday. Officially speaking, the first was the signing of free agent running back C.J. Spiller.

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Then came the anticipated, but somewhat odd, Kenny Stills trade with the Miami Dolphins. While the Saints seemed foolish for trading away Stills, Spiller says he would have been the “fool” to not consider the New Orleans Saints as a free agent.

There were two teams, primarily, most interested in Spiller–one was the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, the other of course being the Saints. Spiller visited New Orleans on Thursday, and reportedly was at the team’s facility into the wee hours of the morning.

By the time Friday rolled around, however, it appeared Spiller would leave New Orleans without a deal. Former Saints running back (and the first draft pick of the Sean Payton era at No. 2 overall in 2006) Reggie Bush was being reported as a new option to come to New Orleans for a visit.

In that light, Spiller’s insistence that he would have been “a fool” to not consider New Orleans makes even more sense.

It makes even more sense when adding this tidbit from Spiller, “I’ve been following this offense very closely. We tried some similar stuff at Buffalo early on in my career. The way that they use their running backs in general is very intriguing.”

Spiller had over 1,600 total yards of offense in 2012–his best season as a pro under Chan Gailey. “If you were in my position, you would be a fool not to visit or at least see how they could utilize your skill set, especially my type of skill set.”

The Saints have used Bush and Darren Sproles in particular very effectively over the years. Sproles set the NFL record for most total yards in a season his first season with the Saints in 2011.

The Saints reportedly gave Spiller a four-year, $18 million deal with $9 million guaranteed. Just last week the Saints gave Mark Ingram a four-year, $16 million deal. The difference is Spiller’s final year can be voided to make it a three-year deal.

But those two, along with Khiry Robinson, will make up the Saints backfield, one which figures to hearken to yesteryear a bit. The Saints will almost assuredly be a running back dominant offense in 2015.

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