Over dinner at the famed Emeril’s restaurant, with a side order of crawfish, linebacker Curtis Lofton started to embrace the idea of crossing the line in the South’s most-heated pro football rivalry.
After being the Falcons’ leading tackling for the past four seasons, he found the teams’ offer unacceptable. When he was allowed to become a free agent, the Saints invited him down for dinner on Sunday, March 18.
He would have signed earlier, but the team got called into NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s office for their bounty-gate scandal. On Saturday, Lofton agreed to a five-year contract with the Saints and plans to circle his calendar for the two dates with the Falcons when the schedule is released.
Lofton is set to follow in the footsteps of quarterback Bobby Hebert, kicker Morten Andersen, running back Craig “Ironhead” Heyward and wide receiver Joe Horn as players who have played for both teams. Also, he becomes the highest draft pick – second round 2008 out of Oklahoma -- made by current general manager Thomas Dimitroff to be allowed to leave the franchise.
“I never had crawfish before so I got some of those,” Lofton said. “I had a pre-draft visit there, but we never really spent time with the coaches and all of that. Then I got drafted to the Falcons, so you kind of grow up hating the Saints.”
Lofton never missed a down because of injury over the past four seasons as he racked up 577 tackles. As a rookie, he came out on passing downs. He played more than 95 percent of the snaps over the past three seasons under defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder.
Lofton said it was made clear that the Falcons, under new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, viewed him as a two-down linebacker.
“I was one of those people (who thought I’d finish my career with the Falcons),” Lofton said. “But there is no bad taste in my mouth. . . it is a business."
Before Lofton’s deal, Detroit signed linebacker Stephen Tulloch to a five-year deal worth $25.5 million with $11.25 guaranteed. Cleveland set the middle linebacker bar high with a five-year, $42.5 million deal ($19 million in guarantees) for D’Qwell Jackson.
The financial terms of Lofton’s deal were undisclosed.
“A team is going to put a value on a guy and other teams put more value on a guy,” Lofton said. “That was the situation. The guy has to go to the team that wants him more. The Saints wanted me more, so that’s where I went.”
While the Falcons have been 0-3 in the playoffs with Lofton at middle linebacker, the Saints have won a Super Bowl. He believes he has a better chance to win a Super Bowl ring with the Saints.
"I feel like Atlanta and the Saints have been evenly matched," Lofton said. "But I really feel like there is more talent with the Saints. I will say that.”
The fact that three of the people – Payton, Loomis and Vitt -- that Lofton had dinner with are facing sanctions from the league was not a factor in his decision.
“I wasn’t there when the bounty stuff went down,” Lofton said. “I have no issue with that. My main thing was, I went down there and they have a winning mentality. ...They are kind of taking on the mentality that it’s ‘Us verses Them.’ That’s how I feel and I can’t wait to be a part of it.”
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