[Buckskin86]

Smith could get big payday from Saints
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com
Updated: June 29, 2007

They already rank among the NFL's best young defensive end tandems. Sometime this summer, if things proceed smoothly, the New Orleans duo of Charles Grant and Will Smith might rate among the richest end couplings in the league as well.

Although the negotiations are only in the nascent stages, ESPN.com has confirmed that Saints officials have approached Smith -- the team's first-round pick in the 2004 draft and a player who is quickly emerging as one of the NFL's top two-way perimeter defenders -- about a new long-term contract extension.

It should be emphasized that a deal isn't imminent. The two sides, in fact, haven't even swapped proposals yet.

But the opening bargaining overtures by the suddenly proactive Saints come only two months after the team unexpectedly signed Grant -- who was designated as a franchise player -- to a seven-year contract that can be worth as much as $63 million, and which includes $20 million in bonuses. And they come in the wake of remarks by coach Sean Payton in which he lauded Smith for the manner in which he accepted the good fortune heaped upon his defensive end partner.

Even though most independent observers consider him the superior player of the two, Smith didn't pout or moan, at least publicly, about Grant's megadeal. The former Ohio State star continued to work hard in the offseason and that meant a lot to Payton, who stresses team harmony and common goals above all else.

Smith, who turns 26 on July 4, has two seasons remaining on the five-year, $11.95 million contract (actually a six-year deal in which he has already earned the right to void the final season) he signed as a rookie. He is coming off a 2006 campaign in which he registered a career-high 10? sacks and has now posted 26? quarterback takedowns in three years. Like Grant, he is adept at the sack-and-strip technique, as demonstrated by 11 forced fumbles. And at 280 pounds, Smith is much stouter versus the run than most weakside ends around the league.
It now seems only a matter of when, not if, Smith cashes in on a big payday.

And by beginning talks now, New Orleans general manager Mickey Loomis, who is intent on keeping together the nucleus of a franchise that in 2006 won only its third division title in club history, has removed any mystery as to who will be signing the paycheck.

As was the case with Grant, a player whose motivation and desire some Saints officials questioned in the past, New Orleans isn't going to let Will Smith get away.

ESPN - Pasquarelli: Saints preparing to pay Smith - NFL