Former Notre Dame Star Linebacker, Manti Te’o, To Sign With The New Orleans Saints

Manti Te’o, the former star middle linebacker for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and runner-up for the 2012 Heisman Trophy, will reportedly sign with the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday.

Te’o was drafted in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers with the 38th pick overall. He spent four seasons with the Chargers, but ruptured his achilles heel in the third game of the 2016 season to end the year. During those four years with San Diego, Te’o has yet to play a full schedule due to injuries.

ESPN

Go ahead and do the math, but in four years he has only played in 38 games while missing 26. So I guess an argument can be made that he has plenty of shelf-life left.

In spite of his injury situation, Te’o led the Chargers in tackles in 2015, and was named a Captain for the 2016 season.

While Notre Dame fans will always have a soft spot in their heart for Te’o, the rest of the country is a little less forgiving. Te’o wasn’t particularly well liked by the San Diego fanbase, and may not be real popular with New Orleans fans right now.

Good luck to Manti in the Big Easy and with the New Orleans Saints!