End of the road for Vilma?

These are words that no fan of the New Orleans Saints wants to hear. But Jeff Duncan simply might be pointing out a harsh reality when he writes that this may be the end of the road for linebackers Will Smith and Jonathan Vilma.

Smith is out for the season with a torn ACL. Vilma recently had knee surgery, his fourth (that we know of) in the past couple of years. It remains to be seen if Vilma will be back on the field this season -- or ever.

Smith and Vilma have been important cogs on this defense for a long time. They also are revered in New Orleans. Their status only grew last year when they avoided the suspensions NFL commissioner Roger Goodell tried to give them during the bounty scandal.

Vilma and Smith appealed at every juncture and that strategy worked.

But there’s no appealing their current situations. Vilma and Smith each took pay cuts to remain with the Saints this year. But age and injuries are catching up to them.

Smith has a ridiculous salary-cap figure for 2014. Vilma hasn’t been an elite player for several years.

The Saints need to start getting younger on defense. They’re already working on that with Smith out for the season and Vilma’s status uncertain for this year.

But, no matter how you look at it, it seems highly unlikely Vilma and Smith will be with the Saints in 2014.


(espn.com)