Saints, Cesar Ruiz agree to four-year, $44 million contract extension

Before Week 1 games kicked off, the New Orleans Saints came to an agreement with offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz on a four-year contract extension. The deal, worth $44 million, will keep the former first-rounder in New Orleans through the 2027 NFL season.

The Saints drafted Ruiz with the No. 24 overall pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Michigan. In his rookie contract, the former Wolverine had a fifth-year option, however, the organization opted to extend him instead of taking the fifth year. His original rookie deal was for four years, $12.6 million.

Since the draft, Ruiz has appeared in 46 games with 40 starts for New Orleans. During the 2021 season, he didn’t take a single offensive snap off.

Entering his fourth season in the league at 24 years old, Ruiz is now the sixth highest-paid player at his position. He’s now going to make $11 million a year, compared to the highest-paid guard, Chris Lindstrom, who is making $20.5 million a year.

Saints enlist two honorary captains for Week 1

Former NFL players Steve Gleason and Tim Shaw are serving as honorary captains for Sunday’s Week 1 matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans. The two teams want to bring more awareness for ALS.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that both Dennis Allen and Mike Vrabel agreed to Sunday’s arrangement. The two head coaches “agreed on the importance of honoring these two men for their respective clubs to help bring inspiration to others as well as raise awareness to the disease with the hope that a cure can be found,” per Schefter.

Gleason was a defensive back for the Saints from 2000-06. He played in 83 career games and accounted for 65 total tackles while in the NFL.

Shaw spent time with four different organizations in the NFL, ending his career with the Titans from 2010-12. Prior to his time in Tennessee, he played for the Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears.

“I am so fortunate and grateful to get to be so involved with the Titans,” Shaw said in an email, per the Titans’ team page. “Being an honorary captain for a game would be cool, but what makes this so special is to be doing it with Steve. Steve has been a role model for me since day one of my diagnosis. And not just a role model, but a friend.”

Over the course of his NFL career, Shaw tallied 128 tackles and forced three fumbles.

On3’s Dustin Schutte contributed to this report.