NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Saints linebacker Pete Werner has agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $25 million, according to a person familiar with the deal.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because financial details were not disclosed.
Without going into contract details, Saints coach Dennis Allen spoke generally about Werner's extension after Thursday's practice at training camp in Irvine, California.
“Pete’s a guy that’s going to be a cornerstone piece for our defense as we move forward,” Allen said. “It’s good to get a guy that you feel good about and that stands for all the things that you believe in and the way that we want to play football. And to be able to lock one of those guys up for the future is good.”
Werner is entering his fourth NFL season since being selected in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Ohio State.
This offseason, the Saints signed former Kansas City linebacker Willie Gay to push Werner for playing time. But Werner was continuing to take first-team snaps until injuring his shoulder about two weeks into camp.
“Up until the injury, I think he was performing at a really high level,” Allen said. “When we have good players and we have a chance to bring them in, we let them come in and we let them compete. I think Pete responded well.”
The 25-year-old Werner's rookie contract was set to expire after this season.
Werner started all but one game last season and has 35 starts in three seasons. He was taking first-team snaps during the first week of training camp before his most recent injury sidelined him.
In 2023, Werner was in on a career-high 93 tackles, including four tackles for loss and half a sack. He also recovered two fumbles and intercepted a pass.
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