The New Orleans Saints have traded Wil Lutz to Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos.
New Orleans will receive a seventh-round draft pick in 2024 for Lutz, who has been with the franchise since 2016. The Saints have decided to place their placekicking duties in the hands of Blake Grupe, an undrafted rookie out of Notre Dame who has had a phenomenal camp and preseason.
Lutz connected on 165 of 195 field goals during his time in New Orleans, good for 85% in his career. However, a core injury sidelined him for the entire 2021 season and when he returned in 2022, he looked shaky all season, missing eight field goals in the season (6 inside of 50 yards).
Lutz will certainly be the starting kicker for the Broncos under Sean Payton, who brought him to New Orleans and molded him into the kicker he is now in the NFL.
Salary could have played a role as well with Lutz being due $2.2 million this season and was set to be a free agent in the following offseason. Grupe, as an undrafted free agent, will demand much less money and you can sign him to a multi-year deal.
Grupe connected on 83% of his field goals in the preseason, with his one miss being from 60 yards away and only missing it due to pushing it to the right. From a distance perspective, the kick would’ve been good from 65.
While in college, Grupe went 211-218 on extra points and 78-105 on field goals in five seasons with both Arkansas State and Notre Dame. He currently holds the Sun Belt Conference record for field goals made in a career with 64.