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By Ken Belson | The New York Times Company

The coronavirus pandemic has upended much, but with a late summer start to the season five months away, the NFL has been one of the few major professional sports leagues to avoid postponing or canceling games.

With little else going on in sports, the league has doubled down on holding its annual three-day draft — which ranks behind only the Super Bowl as the NFL’s biggest spectacle — beginning April 23, altering only the broadcast, which will now be a TV-only studio production with top picks participating remotely.

The NFL is sticking to its self-imposed calendar even as the league instituted travel restrictions and ordered team facilities closed, forcing teams to adapt all-important evaluations that will affect their fortunes for years to come, causing worries that draft selections might go lower or higher than their available research would support.

“When we look back at the draft in two years, we’re going to see guys who were overdrafted because of their familiarity and guys who were under-drafted in later rounds or not at all because they hadn’t been seen or were injured,” said Mike Tannenbaum, an ESPN analyst and a former NFL general manager.

Full Story - Boston.com

By John Hendrix | SI

NFL free agency isn't over, but most of the big moves have been made. The New Orleans Saints have had a good run thus far, and are sure to add a couple more players to the fold before the draft. However, they're currently in a good position to possibly add another free agent or two and have enough financially for their incoming draft class.

So, what's next for the Saints? As of right now, this is the scheduled calendar of events for the league in the month of April that's relevant to New Orleans.

• April 17: Deadline for Restricted Free Agents to sign offer sheets.
• April 20: Clubs with returning head coaches may begin offseason workout programs.
• April 23-25: 2020 NFL Draft, location and setup TBD.

Full Story - SI

By John Sigler | Saints Wire

New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis spoke with John DeShazier of NewOrleansSaints.com on Friday, reviewing the opening weeks of free agency and surveying the status of the team while discussing the roster moves they have made already.

While the Saints have added a few notable veterans from other teams (including wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, safety Malcolm Jenkins, and fullback Michael Burton), they devoted most of their resources to keeping their own players after the open market wasn’t as welcoming as expected. That was an opportunity Loomis admitted he didn’t see coming.

“I would say going into this, I don’t know that I expected to be able to get David and Andrus re-signed. So I’m really happy that that happened,” Loomis said, referring to defensive tackle David Onyemata and two-time Pro Bowl left guard...

By Brady Williams | 12 Up

While so many quarterbacks have found new homes in the NFL this year, Drew Brees will remain in New Orleans. He's been a cornerstone of the Saints' organization for 14 years, and information surrounding his latest contract negotiations proves why.

According to Saints GM Mickey Loomis, Brees took a pay cut so the team could use money elsewhere to improve the roster.

Loomis says Brees' top priority throughout the talks was to ensure that the team would have enough room to address other areas of need. His new contract is a two-year deal for around $50 million. That's a price that places him outside the list of the top-10 highest-paid quarterbacks despite his status as among the best in the league.

Full Story - 12 Up

Photo by: Kameryn Rome/Correspondent for The Houma Times/Daily Comet
Bobby Hebert Sr. accepts an award at the Bayou Region Athletic Hall of Fame
for his son, Bobby Hebert Jr., from Ken Friedlander.

By Dominic Massa | WWL-TV

NEW ORLEANS — Bobby Hebert, Sr., father of former New Orleans Saints quarterback and WWL Radio host Bobby Hebert, has died after testing positive for coronavirus, the radio station reported. He was 81.

WWL Radio confirmed his death Saturday.

The son first revealed his father’s coronavirus diagnosis in an emotional interview on WWL Radio Friday evening.

“He’s a fighter,” Hebert said to co-host Kristian Garic, before breaking down in tears. “He’s tough, but you can be tough and the virus can still overwhelm you.”

“You get numb and then you know sometimes you don’t want to accept reality, what you’re dealing with,” Hebert said. “It’s just trying times right now and we need to listen to what the doctors are saying, what the professionals are saying… because it’s an unseen enemy.”

Full Story - WWL-TV