Jake Delhomme won’t be coming to the New Orleans Saints as a backup quarterback.



He reportedly has agreed to a contract with Cleveland, where he could have a shot at the starting job. The Saints were planning on Delhomme visiting this weekend, but all they could offer him was a backup role behind Drew Brees.



Although Delhomme began his career with the Saints and is a Louisiana native, the chance to compete for a starting job with the Browns apparently outweighed the chance to come back home. Delhomme had been the starter in Carolina since 2003, but was released recently after a disastrous 2009 season.



Carolina plans to go with Matt Moore as the starter. But, ironically, Delhomme signing with Cleveland could give them another option. Numerous reports have said the Browns are shopping quarterback Brady Quinn for a potential trade and Carolina might have some interest.

Former Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme is in New Orleans and will be visiting with the Saints the rest of today and Saturday. General manager Mickey Loomis held a meeting with the local media Friday morning and was pretty open about the team’s interest in Delhomme.

Delhomme

“I think this is a combination of that exploratory visit along with a desire to sign him. We need to have a conversation with Jake and talk about how he sees himself and how he thinks he would fit here before we can say, ‘We’re willing to sign you.’” Loomis said.



That’s a wise approach because, with Drew Brees as the starter, Delhomme would be coming in purely as a backup. I know Delhomme pretty well and he’s a smart guy. I don’t think he would even have made this visit if he didn’t realize a backup role might be his best option at this point.



He’s also a Louisiana native with a deep love for his home state and began his career as an undrafted free agent in New Orleans. If the Saints can get him, I think they’ll have a significant upgrade over Mark Brunell.



Loomis also said the Saints aren’t overly concerned about Delhomme’s surgically-repaired elbow, although their medical people will check it out.



“We need to answer that to some degree, although we don’t have a lot of concern about the injury,’’ Loomis said. “We saw some things during the season that lead us to believe that he’s fine. Again, we’ll have a discussion with him about that today and tomorrow. And we give all of those guys a physical when they come as well.”

LaDainian Tomlinson is going to visit the New York Jets.



Tomlinson has left his visit with the Vikings without a deal. He could still end up in Minnesota, but he’s opening his horizons to other teams. Tomlinson could replace Thomas Jones in New York. The Jets cut him and he signed with Kansas City.



It is being reported Tomlinson could also visit Philadelphia and New Orleans. There, he’d reunite with close friend and former San Diego teammate Drew Brees. Tomlinson was cut by the Chargers on Feb. 23.

TAMPA, Fla. — I’m on my way to see a New York Yankees spring training game (weather permitting) tonight. But I had to pull over to give you a little update on Jake Delhomme.

Delhomme

The former Carolina quarterback visited the Cleveland Browns on Thursday, but, as we’ve been saying all along, there remains a real possibility of him staying in the NFC South. There are reports Delhomme’s next visit will be to the New Orleans Saints.



We’ve even heard from a reliable source in New Orleans that coach Sean Payton was heard publicly praising Delhomme earlier today.



This one makes sense on a lot of levels. Payton tried to get Delhomme to Dallas when he was an assistant coach there. He also currently is in the market for a backup quarterback because Mark Brunell is a free agent or could be heading for retirement. Delhomme would be an upgrade over Brunell because he’s younger. He also would be a good extra pair of eyes for starter Drew Brees and is a good guy to have in the locker room.



Then, there’s Delhomme’s history. He grew up in Louisiana and loves it there. He began his career with the Saints and was a fan favorite. That was back at a time when former coach Jim Haslett was obligated to “franchise’’ quarterback Aaron Brooks because of his draft status. Delhomme never had a shot to compete with Brooks.



In the current climate, Delhomme also would be a backup because nobody’s going to take Brees’ job anytime soon. But Delhomme may be at a point in his life and his career where he can be content with that. Plus, he’d be back home.



We’ll see what happens over the next few days.

A coin toss is no way to settle any NFL game, let alone a classic playoff battle or, worse, the Super Bowl.



ESPN’s John Clayton and I can agree on that.



The prospect of Peyton Manning, Drew Brees or any elite quarterback never touching the football during overtime keeps league executives awake at night, or at least during meetings of the competition committee. There’s a decent chance those meetings will produce changes to overtime rules for the playoffs, a subject Clayton and I will try to resolve in regulation.



Mike Sando: Greetings, professor, and welcome to the NFC West blog. Aren’t you on the competition committee?



John Clayton: Not quite, Mike, but if I were, I’d be inclined to vote for change. The current overtime rules are fine for the regular season. Why have a cheap overtime victory in the playoffs?



MS: This might be a good time to formally introduce the proposed rules change. Both teams would get at least one possession in overtime unless one team scored a touchdown on the first possession. This would prevent a team from moving quickly into range for the winning field goal before the other team had a chance to get its offense on the field. And I get that part of it. No one wants to see kickers trump quarterbacks. But let’s also not forget about the first four quarters. Both quarterbacks have plenty of chances to win games during regulation. Let’s not tinker with rules lightly.



JC: What I like is it’s only going to be in the playoffs. Since 2002, there have been five times in the playoffs in which a quarterback turned the overtime coin toss into a victory. Quarterbacks are getting very good at taking drives down the field in two-minute situations. It’s becoming more frequent. It happened only once from 1958 until 2002.



MS: Right, but the new rule wouldn’t have affected all of those games. Peyton Manning never touched the football in overtime of the Colts’ wild-card playoff defeat at San Diego a year ago. His team scored 17 points in regulation, took a knee on the final play and then watched San Diego put together a 10-play, 75-yard drive to the winning touchdown. The right team won that game and the right team wins most of them. I can’t remember feeling shortchanged after watching a kicker win a playoff game in overtime. I’m also not a big fan of having different rules for the playoffs. Football should be football, right?



JC: Sudden death would turn into sudden deferral if the league applied this proposed rule to the regular season. At least in playoff games, you’re always trying to win.



MS: We’ve gone from 15 ties per season from 1962 to 1973 to less than one tie per season over the last 36. That’s a good thing.



JC: The current rule was put together in 1974 to stop ties, and it worked. That is the function of these rules. It minimizes the chance for ties. At least when you get into the playoffs, there are no ties. They will play until somebody scores. And then it starts to make sense to take advantage of a chance to have a second possession, the chance to neutralize a field goal. Why have a cheap overtime victory in the playoffs as opposed to one where you earn it? In the regular season, if you go to a mandatory two possessions in OT, now all of a sudden you’re eating 8 minutes off the clock and there’s a better chance for a tie because there’s no second OT.



MS: I’m not feeling much urgency on this one. There’s too much emphasis on everything having to be perfectly fair. The current rules aren’t perfect, but this is football, not the legal system. I didn’t have a problem with Brett Favre never touching the ball in overtime against the Saints in the NFC Championship Game. The Vikings botched the end of regulation and deserved to lose and we all know what happened the last time Favre had possession in a playoff game. He threw it to the other team.



Winning or losing by a field goal is part of football. There’s nothing cheap about a kicker coming through in the clutch and getting mobbed by his teammates. Those kicks aren’t gimmes under pressure, as kickers demonstrated last postseason. They’re dramatic precisely because the game’s outcome hangs in the balance. I also think it’s vital for the league to consider unintended consequences for any rule change. More on that in a bit. Before we go any further, what are the odds of this rules change even passing when owners get together in Orlando for their spring meetings later this month?



JC: I would give it only about a 45 percent chance even though it’s a good proposal. The main problem for passage is that there are a lot of traditionalists in the NFL — the Bidwills in Arizona, Mike Brown in Cincinnati. They are typically going to say no because they don’t like change. There has always been a block that was against replay and a block against rules such as this one. But that 45 percent chance is the best chance for an overtime rules change in many years.



MS: Let’s say the new rule passes and the allegedly great threat of cheap overtime field goals in the postseason is ended. The final minutes of regulation in a tie game might feel a little different. I wonder if teams might be more inclined to play for overtime, perhaps lowering the stakes in regulation. We should also consider how games might change after one team scores a field goal on the first possession of overtime. The second team would never punt, but there might be less drama in the knowledge that an answering field goal would buy additional time.



JC: As you know, Mike, I think one of the great parts of the game now is how the elite quarterbacks work the two-minute offense. The beauty of this rule change is that I don’t think it’s going to change it too much. Because of the possibility of a team losing the coin toss and giving up a touchdown drive that might lose the game, I think the quarterbacks will still drive for the winning score in regulation rather than just settle for overtime. That would be different in the regular season. Teams without elite quarterbacks would turn defensive and just settle for the overtime game. In the playoffs nowadays, you have to have an elite quarterback. You’re only talking about one or two playoff games a year in overtime. I’m not concerned as much about watching the punter. I’m concerned about seeing the elite quarterback. This rule change should pass because it doesn’t dampen the excitement of a playoff game. That might happen if you just go to the two-possession rule. The touchdown factor for the first possession puts this one over the top.



MS: We’re out of time, which can only mean one thing. Let’s flip a coin and settle this thing. Where’s Phil Luckett when you need him?

We have been tracking guaranteed money on this blog ever since Detroit committed quarterback Matthew Stafford to an NFL-record $41.7 million on the eve of the 2009 draft. Finally, it’s time for Stafford’s deal to take a back seat.



But as it turns out, the record remains in the NFC North family. (Would you have expected anything else?) Chicago guaranteed defensive end Julius Peppers $42 million on Friday, putting Peppers at the top of our list:



Chicago defensive end Julius Peppers: $42 million

Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford: $41.7 million

Washington defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth: $41 million

San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers: $38 million

Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick: $37 million*

Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger: $36 million

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning: $35 million

Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan: $34.8 million

Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning: $34.5 million

Oakland quarterback JaMarcus Russell: $31.5 million

Dallas quarterback Tony Romo: $30 million

*Vick’s deal has since been terminated.



It will be interesting to see how long Peppers’ record stands. If a quarterback is drafted No. 1 overall next month, you would think his guaranteed money would overtake Stafford. With only a $300,000 difference between Stafford and Peppers, there is a chance the record could soon fall. Other candidates include Manning and New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees, both of whom are expected to receive contract extensions this offseason.

Evading a question is one thing. Issuing a flat denial is another.



So, if the Rams quickly move for Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb when the trading period opens at midnight ET, I’d be a little surprised.

McNabb

Bradford

“There’s been no talks about Donovan,” Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo told Sirius radio’s Scott Ferrall on Wednesday night.



Pressed further, Spagnuolo said, “No, there were no conversations.”



Separately, Rams vice president Kevin Demoff used an NFL.com chat to explain how difficult it can be to draft good quarterbacks after the first round — something to keep in mind as the Rams decide whether to draft Sam Bradford first overall.



“One thing that should be noted is the success rate of quarterbacks drafted in the second round is far worse than that of those drafted in the first round,” Demoff wrote. “The only second-round quarterback to make the Pro Bowl in recent memory was Drew Brees, and he would have been a first-rounder if there had been 32 teams in the NFL when he was drafted.”



Kordell Stewart (1995 draft) and Jake Plummer (1997) went to Pro Bowls as second-round choices, although neither enjoyed exceptional careers by elite quarterback standards.



“I believe at the end of the year, 18 of the 32 quarterbacks starting in the NFL were first-round picks, and the next most prolific round was undrafted,” Demoff wrote. “If you look at the playoffs last year, nearly all of the starting quarterbacks were first-rounders, with the exception of Brees, Brady and Warner, who all could be in the Hall of Fame. The percentages are much better in the first round, but with the reward comes great risk.”



From 1996 to 2006, about 41 percent of first-round quarterbacks became Pro Bowl players. The rate dropped to 22 percent in the second round, 13 percent in the third round, 6.7 percent in the fourth round and zero percent in the fifth and seventh rounds. Nearly 17 percent of sixth-rounders became Pro Bowlers (Tom Brady, Matt Hasselbeck, Marc Bulger and Derek Anderson).



I did not count quarterbacks drafted from 2007 forward, figuring they were still early in their careers. Also, quarterbacks drafted earlier probably received extra chances to succeed.

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow is working to refine his throwing motion. Will he play QB or some other position in the NFL? Let’s assess his chances of landing in the NFC South.



Atlanta: Unless Tebow wanted to switch positions and the Falcons thought he could play tight end or somewhere else, there’s no chance of him landing in Atlanta. They’ve got Matt Ryan as their franchise quarterback. Coach Mike Smith and offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey aren’t big believers in gimmicks. They rarely use the Wildcat formation and they’re not going to change and disrupt their offense.



Draft probability: No chance.



Carolina: The Panthers probably are in the market for a quarterback in free agency or the draft. At the moment, they have an uncertain situation with Matt Moore and Jake Delhomme as the only real options to start. Tebow has a history as a winner, and the Panthers have done their homework on him. But coach John Fox and general manager Marty Hurney have to win big this year, and they’ve always believed it takes too long for a quarterback to develop from the time he’s drafted. Tebow is just adjusting to an NFL throwing motion. It’s very unlikely Fox and Hurney will take him because they don’t have the time for him to develop.



Draft probability: Low.



New Orleans: Yeah, it’s tempting to think about the possibilities of what a great offensive mind like Sean Payton could do with Tebow. But do you really think Payton is going to do anything that potentially would take the ball out of Drew Brees’ hands?



Draft probability: No chance.



Tampa Bay: The Bucs have young quarterbacks in Josh Freeman and Josh Johnson. Freeman clearly is the franchise guy. If the Bucs do anything at quarterback, it will be to add a veteran free agent to help mentor Freeman. They have 10 draft picks and lots of needs. A project at quarterback isn’t one of them.



Draft probability: No chance

Now that future Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson has been released by the San Diego Chargers, it will be interesting to see where he lands. Tomlinson told SI.com’s Jim Trotter that his main goal is to join a contender. And most contenders generally have one thing in common.

“I do know that I would have to go to a team that has a [proven] quarterback,” Tomlinson said. “A place where you know you have a chance to win because of the quarterback.”

Trotter mentioned the Eagles, Patriots and Packers as potential fits for Tomlinson. If the Eagles signed Tomlinson, they’d likely release veteran Brian Westbrook. The two running backs are both in their early 30s and they’ve seen steep declines in their numbers. Would Tomlinson be that much of an upgrade over Westbrook at this point? I don’t think so. And that’s why the Eagles will probably steer clear of him.



The other team in the NFC East that might have some interest in Tomlinson is Washington. Coach Mike Shanahan has a great appreciation for Tomlinson because he coached in the same division for so many years. The Redskins are still trying to figure out what to do at quarterback and running back, though, which might make them less appealing to the former Chargers great.



Still, you could make the argument that Shanahan’s presence alone will quickly turn the Redskins into a contender. And Tomlinson might not have as many options as one might think. I’m sure he’d love to reunite with Drew Brees in New Orleans, but that’s also unlikely. The Patriots have made a living on signing players in the twilight of their careers, so that’s a definite possibility.



But don’t rule out the Houston Texans. After all, Ryan Moats was starting (and succeeding) at one point in ‘09. Gary Kubiak also has a great appreciation for LT from his time in the AFC West. Where do you guys think Tomlinson will land?

Let’s catch up on some numbers as the fallout of the Chargers’ release of running back LaDainian Tomlinson continues.



The following are some lists compiled by ESPN Stats & Information. These illustrate just how dominant and special Tomlinson was in his nine-season career in San Diego:



LaDainian Tomlinson, NFL Career Rank

Rush Yards: 12,490 (8th)

Rush TD: 138 (2nd)

Total TD: 153 (3rd)

Most Rush TD, NFL History

Emmitt Smith: 164

LaDainian Tomlinson: 138

Marcus Allen: 123

Walter Payton: 110

Jim Brown: 106

Most Total TD, NFL History

Jerry Rice: 208

Emmitt Smith: 175

LaDainian Tomlinson: 153

Randy Moss: 149

Terrell Owens: 147

Most Career Rush Yards (Spent Entire Career With One Team)

Walter Payton: 16,726 (Bears)

Barry Sanders: 15,269 (Lions)

LaDainian Tomlinson: 12,490 (Chargers)

Jim Brown: 12,312 (Browns)

Meanwhile, Tomlinson tells Sports Illustrated that he is still motivated to play and that he wants to play for a championship-caliber team. It wouldn’t be a shock if Tomlinson’s top choice would be to reunite with close friend and former teammate Drew Brees with the Super Bowl champion Saints.



Here are a collection of several radio interviews with key people in Tomlinson’s San Diego career.