Saints to sign former Panthers safety Kurt Coleman to three-year contract

The New Orleans Saints agreed to terms with veteran free agent safety Kurt Coleman on a three-year contract Friday night, The Advocate’s Nick Underhill first tweeted late Friday evening.

According to the NFL Network, Coleman’s deal is worth $18 million, including $6.5M in the first year.

Released last month by the Carolina Panthers, the 29-year old Coleman met this week with both the Saints and Bengals in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine this week, so the expectation was a deal was going to get done at some point in the near future.

The Panthers signed Coleman to a four-year, $18.2 million contract that included $7 million guaranteed in 2016 after his first season with Carolina. He was released by the Panthers in a cost-cutting move.

In 2017, Coleman appeared in 12 games for the Panthers and recorded 76 tackles, a fumble recovery and three pass defenses. The Ohio State product has 11 career interceptions.

Coleman, a former seventh-round pick of the Eagles back in 2010, joined the Kansas City Chiefs for the 2014 season after four seasons with Philadelphia.

The move marks the first significant free agent addition for the Saints this offseason. The official opening of the NFL’s free agency period Wednesday, March 14 provides the chance for New Orleans to aim higher than the NFC Divisional round in 2018.