Saints sign offensive guard Nick Easton

The New Orleans Saints have agreed to a contract with former Vikings guard Nick Easton, in news broke Sunday night by E.S.P.N. NFL reporter Adam Shefter. The contract is for four years, totaling 24 million dollars, according to initial reports. Easton is expected to move to center, after this weekend's retirement of Max Unger.

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The 26-yr. old Easton has played the last two seasons with Minnesota, starting 17 of 23 games. He was originally undrafted from Harvard, signed by the Baltimore Ravens in 2015 before being traded to the San Francisco 49ers and eventually landing with the Vikings. The 6'3, 303-lb. lineman had his 2017 season ended after twelve games due to a neck injury which caused him to miss all of last year, but appears to be fully recovered according to reports. He had narrowed his decisions to a return to Minnesota or New Orleans, before deciding on the Saints late Sunday evening.

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Easton is expected to fill the void left by the retirement of the Pro Bowler Unger, who had played four seasons with New Orleans. He may face competition in the role from Cameron Tom and Will Clapp, but the Saints do appear to have solidified their interior offensive line quickly.