Saints guard Jahri will not attend workouts without long-term contract

Being one of the six unsigned restricted free agent, the New Orleans Saints veteran guard Jahri Evans made it clear that he will not wear back his Saints jersey to take part in offseason workouts if the team is unable to offer him a long-term deal.

According to Evans’ agent Jerrold Colton, the guard has not yet planned to sign the one-year, $3.168 million tender offered by the Saints because he is hoping for a longer contract that they think a five-year veteran deserves. According to former Collective Bargaining Agreement, Evans would have been an unrestricted free agent with advantages in contract negotiation. Unfortunately, as the owners voted to let the 2010 season become a season without salary cap, Evans instead became a restricted free agent when this offseason began. However, the starting guard in Saints’ Super Bowl XLIV win still acts as if he is a UFA.

“From my standpoint, there’s no question that Jahri – I believe he’s the best guard in the league or that he certainly is in the elite category,” Colton said. “Even though his status as a RFA doesn’t give him the ultimate leverage, we would not be interested in doing a long-term deal that doesn’t recognize his status as an elite player, if not the best guard in the NFL.”

Colton also told reporters that the Saints are showing intention to sign Evans back as they are still having discussions about the possible contract. What’s more, progress has been made and we may expect Evans to wear back his Saints jersey and return to New Orleans soon.