Earlier today, New Orleans Saints cornerback Patrick Robinson announced his retirement from the NFL. It was a decision that not even Sean Payton saw coming.
“No,” Payton replied when asked if he saw this move coming. “Normally you don’t. He’s played in this league a long time. He and I spoke for about a half an hour, and he’s had a great career. He’s been smart with his money and it was something that deep down inside he felt.”
Payton also added that it’s not uncommon for veteran players to retire during training camp.
“It’s not unusual, really, in training camp. It’s happened a number of times. It’s hard to ever see somebody and how they’re feeling. When you have a large group of players like this, someone who has played as long as he has, he felt comfortable with his decision and certainly, we respect that. He’ll get on to his next chapter and we go from there.”
Saints ability to adjust tested yet again with Patrick Robinson retirement
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Robinson signed a four-year, $20 million contract with the Saints in 2018. He was expected to have a decent role in Payton’s defense this season.
Now that Robinson is out of the mix, Payton will have to search for a potential upgrade at cornerback. There just isn’t much proven talent on the depth chart at that position right now outside of Marshon Lattimore.
“It still is [a must position] and we’ll keep working the rosters,” Payton told reporters. “There’ll be a cutdown. In the meantime, we’re working closely with the guys we have here.”
Paulson Adebo, Prince Amukamara and Ken Crawley are current options for the Saints who could potentially fill their vacancy at the No. 2 cornerback spot.
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