NFL rumors: Saints called out, Bills keep adding, Dolphins shut down trade talk
By Kristen Wong
NFL Rumors: Did Saints make the wrong choice at kicker?
The New Orleans Saints haven't made any egregious franchise decisions in the post-Drew Brees era. Parting ways with long-time kicker Wil Lutz, however, could be one of the more questionable moves of the decade.
The Saints traded Lutz to Sean Payton's Broncos for a 2024 seventh-round pick, allowing the veteran kicker to reunite with his former coach. Lutz, who has kicked for NOLA since 2016, hasn't shed many tears over his departure. Apparently, he's already adopted Russell Wilson's super corny catchphrase, "Let's ride."
Though this so-called breakup was initiated by the Saints, at least one member of the NFL community believes NOLA is worse off for the move. Lutz's agent, John Perla, told the Denver Gazette that Lutz "didn't lose his job" in Saints training camp.
When John Perla, agent for new #Broncos kicker Wil Lutz, was asked about Lutz losing Saints job to Blake Grupe, he said, “He didn’t lose his job. The Saints just made a poor decision. The better player is not the one who is left on the Saints’ roster, I’ll tell you that.”
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) August 29, 2023
Taking Lutz's place is undrafted free agent rookie Blake Grupe. The 24-year-old Grupe played for Arkansas State and Notre Dame; in 2022, he converted 73.7 percent of his field goal attempts.
That's not any better than Lutz's numbers from his injury-plagued 2022 season, when he converted 74.2 percent of his field goal attempts.
Maybe the Saints are just trying to bring in some fresh blood in 2023? New year, new quarterback, new kicker.