Former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Willie Snead has signed with the Baltimore Ravens. Snead was a restricted free agent going into the 2018 off-season.
Saints are not going to match Willie Snead’s offer sheet with Baltimore, per source. Snead will be a Raven.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 23, 2018
Saints Decline To Match Offer Sheet On Willie Snead
According to ESPN, the Ravens offered Snead a two-year deal worth $7 million. The deal also included $3.4 million in incentives and a $2 million signing bonus. The Saints declined to match the offer, allowing Snead to leave the organization for Baltimore.
Snead entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2014, signing with the Cleveland Browns. While he flashed talent, it wasn’t enough to avoid being released by the team before seeing regular season action. After briefly joining the Carolina Panthers practice squad, Snead found himself on the Saints practice squad roster in December 2014.
Snead performed well enough to earn a spot on the 53-man roster and saw his first regular season game in 2015. Snead had an impressive showing in his first NFL season with 69 receptions for 984 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games, making starts in the final nine contests. The following year, Snead sat at number two on the receiver depth chart, corralling 72 of his 104 targets for 895 yards and four touchdowns in 15 games. Snead fumbled twice during both the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
The former Ball State player’s 2017 season was limited after Snead was charged with a DUI in early September. In 11 games, Snead recorded only eight receptions on 16 targets for a season total of 92 yards and no touchdowns. As a result, the Saints tendered the upcoming restricted free agent at the lowest level, making clear their lack of desire to retain the receiver.
In Baltimore, Snead will join Michael Crabtree, John Brown, Chris Moore, and Breshad Perriman in the receiving corps that boasted Mike Wallace and Jeremy Maclin as the top pass catchers. Snead will likely appear on the depth chart as the second or third receiver for Baltimore.
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