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According to a report, the New Orleans Saints have re-signed defensive tackle Nick Fairley. A Thursday morning piece from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport broke stating that the Saints were closing in on a big-money contract for Fairley. Now, it looks like they have him locked up on a four-year deal worth about $30 million.
The #Saints contract with DT Nick Fairley is 4 years, worth almost $30M, source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2017
It’s been the general belief and consensus that Fairley should have been with the Saints, as we have talked about plenty of times. He’s a Gulf Coast native, and helped Dennis Allen’s defense turn in their best run defense ranking since 2011 (108.6 rushing yards per game). Entering the new season, the average going rate for the Top 15 defensive tackles was around $10.88 million.
My initial thoughts for months on Fairley’s deal was a 4-year, $39 million contract with $24 million guaranteed and a $8 million signing bonus. Clearly, this is a huge win for both parties involved.