Some heads turned when the New Orleans Saints reunited with linebacker Kiko Alonso on Thursday — it’s unusual to bring in a player who hasn’t gotten on the field since 2019, weeks before his 32nd birthday, but Saints coach Dennis Allen shared some insight.
“We have some familiarity with the player, he did a nice job on his workout,” Allen said after practice on Friday. “He was in shape, looked good. And when he’s been healthy, he’s been a productive player in our league. And so, that was kind of what drew us to him.”
So they’re kicking the tires on a veteran who already knows the system, even if he’s been out of football for a few years recovering from a torn ACL. Alonso went down in the Saints’ 2019 playoff loss to the Minnesota Vikings and started the 2020 season on the PUP list, only to be traded to the San Francisco 49ers in a salary cap dumping move that brought back Kwon Alexander, who played really well for New Orleans in 2020 and 2021, though he too missed time with an injury.
Still, it’s tough not to compare Alonso’s arrival in New Orleans just a week after the New York Jets signed Alexander to a one-year deal at the $1,120,000 veteran’s minimum salary, guaranteeing him just $580,000 with a meager $152,500 signing bonus. That’s likely close to what Alonso received, and is mighty affordable and should have been easy for the Saints to match, but they ultimately went in a different direction. We’ll see how it plays out.
It’s probably best not to make too much of this move. Pete Werner has the starting job next to Demario Davis sewn up, with backups like Kaden Elliss, Eric Wilson, Zack Baun, and Andrew Dowell in the mix behind them, as well as rookie draft pick D’Marco Jackson. Alonso faces long odds of making the roster. For now, his focus is on competing well enough in practice to make it through the first wave of roster cuts. Alonso wasn’t spotted at Saturday’s practice session so we’ll be looking for an update.
Update: WWL TV’s Brooke Kirchhofer reports that Alonso has chosen to retire after six seasons in the NFL following his practice at Saints camp on Friday.
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